Last Chance
by Rj34
Summary: Following on a few years after the end of 'After the Jump.' A Georgie/Charlie fan fic with a bit more action than the last. When events out of their control threaten their family's future, can they get through the other side?
1. Chapter 1

'Mr James?'

Charlie didn't move. He was stuck, as if he was rooted to the chair in the waiting room, staring in to space.

'Mr James?' He heard the voice a little louder this time, and turned to look at the figure standing next to him. 'DCI Turner.'

It took him a few seconds to realise that the detective was holding out his hand. Charlie stood up, and shook it firmly. 'Sorry.'

'It's fine.' DCI Turner said firmly. Charlie examined his facial features. Soft skin, combed hair, clean shaven. He didn't look much over 30. How could he be tasked with such an important job as this, when he was so young? As soon as he thought it, Charlie shook the thought from his mind. Most of his platoon had been younger, and he would have trusted any one of them with his life. Who was he to decide whether this detective was old enough to do his job?

If the detective could tell what Charlie was thinking, he didn't let it show.

'Come this way.' He said.

Charlie followed him down the corridor. Everything was so grey and clinical. The smell of disinfectant got caught in his throat and he had to clear it. It reminded him of the last time they were here, the day Olly was born. Full of hope, full of forevers.

'Are you sure you're ready?' The detective asked, sensing the hesitancy in his body language.

No, Charlie thought, but he just nodded. How could he ever be ready?

When they got to the right door Turner stopped, and put his hand on the door handle before turning to Charlie.

'I just need a yes, or a no.'

Charlie nodded. 'I understand.'

'Her injuries are significant, so she might not look exactly as you remember. Just take your time, it's important that you are sure. If you need to stop at any time, just say so.'

Charlie nodded again. As he heard the click of the door handle opening he closed his eyes tightly shut. He could see Georgie and Olly cuddled up in bed in their pyjamas just a few days before, reading one of his favourite books. 'Daddy, can't you stay home today?' Olly had pleaded, his most persuasive grin plastered across his face. How Charlie wished he had given in and stayed at home with them. How could he tell their little boy that his Mummy would never be coming home?

Charlie had seen many dead bodies, none of them peaceful. At first he'd found it hard, but as time went on he almost became conditioned to it. He no longer saw them as the bodies of people, lives lost, but learnt to see them as part of the war, he was almost immune to the shock of it. But nothing could prepare him for seeing the body of someone he loved, and as much as he tried to put his captain face on and pull himself together he just couldn't picture his life without Georgie in it, and that made it impossible.

He sensed that the detective had moved forwards in to the room, and followed him inside. Everything was silent and still. When he opened his eyes he saw her, feet away from him, almost entirely covered by a clinical white sheet all the way up to her neck. Her long dark hair was spread across the pillow behind her head, just like she was sleeping. Charlie couldn't see her face close enough from that distance but his heart was thumping in his chest like a war drum, so hard that he could hear it raging in his ears.

'Take your time.' The detective said. 'I'll be just outside.'

'Ok.' Charlie choked. He couldn't breathe. The air felt suffocating. He wanted to leave the room, leave the entire hospital, never come back. Never have to face this. It had been so long since he felt so completely lost. At his lowest point Georgie had been there, ready to pick up the pieces and put him back together. They had done it together, they had been happy. Life had become so comfortable, so normal, it had never occurred to him that he could be so close to losing it all.

As Charlie stepped forward his chest became tighter and tighter, and he didn't have the strength to breathe. 'Georgie?' He croaked, as he got close enough to the bed to see her face. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to tell, but it was so unmistakable he only had to look at her for a second.

'Fuck.' He cried, staggering backwards and slamming against the door as he scrambled around trying to leave the room. He felt vomit rise up from his stomach in to his throat and he clamped a hand to his mouth as he staggered in to the hallway and in to the detective, before forcing his way in to the toilets and throwing up violently. Tears ran down his face and his heart was thumping so hard he felt like he couldn't breathe in enough oxygen to keep up.

Once he was done he clawed at the tissue dispenser to clean himself up, but his hands were shaking so hard he could barely find the strength in his fingers to grab any out. He splashed water over his face and leant on the sink for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. As he stood up and caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, he saw the panic in his eyes as the realisation of what this really meant hit him.

'Are you alright?' Turner asked softly as Charlie emerged from the bathroom.

'Fine.' Charlie lied.

'Did you... are you able to confirm?' The detective asked.

Charlie nodded. 'Yeah. It's not her.'

'It's not?' Turner asked, a little confused. 'Are you sure?'

'It's not my wife, it's not Georgie.' Charlie breathed, his heart still thumping in his chest. 'So where the fuck is she?'


	2. Chapter 2

2 days earlier

'Stay in bed!' Georgie grinned, wrapping her arms around Charlie tightly. His body was warm and it was cold outside the cocoon of covers that surrounded them.

'I wish I could.' He replied, kissing the top of her head gently as she nuzzled in to his chest. 'But I'll be late.'

'Maybe we could practice...' She whispered suggestively. 'While Olly is asleep? He never sleeps in this late.'

Charlie felt a smile play on his lips. 'Now there's a proposition.' He said. 'But I thought you said you wanted to wait until Olly is at pre-school?'

'Doesn't mean we can't practice.' Georgie said, kissing his chest and then moving up to his shoulders and his neck.

'Don't, I won't be able to resist.' Charlie mumbled, feeling his desire for her increase immediately.

'That's the idea.' She whispered, but before she knew it he had grabbed her arms and pinned her back against the mattress.

Georgie laughed as his lips tickled her neck. She felt his body press harder against hers as his lips moved on to hers and he began to kiss her more deeply.

'I thought you didn't want to be late.' She murmured.

'Yeah, I'll have to be quick.' He grinned, his hands still pressing her arms up against her head as though he was holding her captive.

When they were done Georgie padded across the bedroom in to the en suite and began to run the shower while Charlie quickly got dressed. She entered the shower and closed her eyes as the hot water ran over her head and down her skin. She tilted her head down towards the shower tray and watched as the water ran down her flat stomach. It didn't seem that long since Olly was still inside her, and she couldn't see her toes. Thoughtfully, she placed her hand on her stomach and wondered what it would be like to love another child as much as she loved Olly.

Charlie had wanted a younger sibling for Olly ever since he was one. He was three now, but Georgie hadn't yet felt the desire to have another child. She loved Olly to bits and loved seeing the bond he shared with Charlie's older son Sam, and she knew that was what spurred Charlie on to want another. But it had taken a long time for her to get back in to a career which she enjoyed. She was now a paramedic, and she found every day challenging and exciting. She was worried that adding another baby in to the mix could unbalance their family dynamics. It worked well, the three of them, sometimes four at the weekend when Sam stayed.

Georgie turned the shower off and grabbed a towel as she got out of the shower. She dried herself quickly and then opened the bathroom door, hoping to catch Charlie before he left. He was sat on the edge of the bed, awkwardly adjusting the knot of his tie.

'Here.' Georgie said, sitting down next to him and gently moving his hands aside as she worked on his tie.

'Thanks.' He said, staring in to her eyes intensely as she fixed it for him.

Georgie looked up, in to his eyes and for a moment they sat there staring at each other, before Georgie eventually got up off the bed and started to get dressed.

'What are you going to do today?' Charlie asked. 'Is your Mum still coming down?'

'Yeah.' Georgie replied, pulling on a pair of jeans. 'I was thinking a bit of shopping, lunch... nothing that exciting. It will just be good to catch up. Is it still alright with you if she stays?'

'Of course, you don't need to ask.' Charlie said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. Her wet hair tickled the edge of his cheek as he brushed it aside and kissed her neck.

'Hey.' She smiled, while fastening the button on her jeans. 'You need to go.'

'I can't resist you.' He admitted, brushing his hands over her skin towards her breasts.

Georgie spun around and kissed him on the lips, before wriggling out of his grip so that she could put on a T-shirt.

'Go.' She grinned. 'We'll have plenty of time for this later.'

'What, when your Mum's here?' He pulled a face.

'She'll be asleep by the time we get back from dinner, she won't hear a thing.' Georgie promised. 'Now go. I'll see you later.'

...

'Olly!' Grace cried as her Grandson ran out of the front door and in to her arms, planting a big sloppy kiss on her face. 'There's my best boy!'

'Hi Mum.' Georgie said, holding the front door open.

Grace picked Olly up and then stepped forward to hug Georgie. Olly squealed with delight as they pretended to squash him between them.

'I missed you Nanny!' He said. 'Can we paint?'

'Of course!' Grace said, with a big grin on her face.

'Give Nanny a moment to get through the door first, Olly.' Georgie said, ruffling Olly's mass of curls.

They went through to the kitchen, and Olly began to pull out all his paints from the cabinet in the corner of the room whilst Georgie flicked the kettle on and set two mugs on the side.

'So what's new?' Grace asked. 'What have you been up to?'

'Nothing really.' Georgie answered, dropping a tea bag in to each mug. 'Work... play group.. that's it really.'

Grace smiled as Olly brought her his favourite tub of sparkly paint. 'Thank you, Olly.' She said, as he ran off back to the cupboard to pull out another. 'And how's Charlie doing?'

'Yeah, really good.' Georgie said, as she poured water in to each mug.

Grace nodded, and studied her daughter carefully. She sensed that there was something she was holding back.

'Are you alright, George? You seem a bit quiet.' She asked.

'Yeah, I'm fine.' Georgie said, padding across the kitchen and setting the two mugs down on the table, before settling on the seat next to Grace. 'Just tired, that's all. Olly's been up at 5 all week. That combined with shift work has been a bit of a killer.'

'Has Charlie not been doing his share?' Grace asked, sipping her tea.

'No it's not that.' Georgie said. 'He's been great actually. He does more for Olly and around the house than I do. I can't remember the last time I cooked!'

Grace raised an eyebrow. 'Maybe he could give your dad some tips!'

Georgie placed her mug back down on the table. 'Dad's not that bad!'

'He is quite bad.' Grace said, and they both laughed, before sitting quietly for a few seconds, both watching Olly spring around the kitchen excitedly, preparing his paints.

'He's been so excited to see you.' Georgie smiled. It warmed her heart to see him so excited about seeing his Nanny.

'And I've been so excited to see both of you!' Grace smiled, as Olly jumped in to her arms.


	3. Chapter 3

'So what happens now?' Charlie asked, his hands clamped tightly together in his lap. He looked right in to DCI Turner's eyes. The detective wasn't giving anything away. Charlie couldn't tell whether this was because he had information which he couldn't disclose, or because he had no information at all.

'We are still pursuing several lines of inquiry.' Turner replied, his tone flat and professional. 'We're doing everything we can to find your wife, Mr James.'

'Are you though?' Charlie snapped, finding it impossible to stop the anger erupting out of him. 'Because you've got someone else dead in there, and you don't have a clue who it is. And in the meantime, Georgie is out there, and nobody has a clue where she is. She could be lying hurt somewhere waiting for someone to rescue her. It's been TWO days, two fucking days-'

Turner watched as Charlie shut his eyes and clenched his fists, trying to suppress his anger.

'I do understand your frustration.' He reassured. 'But we are doing everything we can. And you have to trust us.'

'I know.' Charlie said, more quietly this time. 'I'm sorry. I just- I have to go home to my son - our son. And he's going to ask where his Mummy is, and when she's coming home. What do I tell him?'

The detective had no answers. 'Do you have kids?' Charlie asked.

Turner shook his head.

'Our son is 3.' Charlie said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. 'He's 3 years old. He can't lose his Mum. Please do something.'

...

When Grace heard the key turn in the front door she jumped off the sofa where she had been sitting with Olly, and rushed into the hallway, closely followed by Max.

'Georgie?' She called, but her heart sank when she saw that it was just Charlie. 'Is there any news?' She asked desperately.

Charlie couldn't look her in the eye, the panic and desperation in her face was too much to bear. Silently he shook his head, and set his keys down on the sideboard. He looked up at Georgie's cardigan which was hanging on one of the pegs above the sideboard. Reaching up, he gently rubbed the soft fabric between his fingers, picturing the last time he saw her wear it a couple of days before.

'Daddy!' Olly's little voice and the sound of his feet running down the hallway was enough to break Charlie out of his bubble of despair, albeit momentarily. As he embraced his son and held him tightly in his arms, it was as if some of the tension which was close to boiling over managed to escape.

'When's mummy coming home?' Olly asked. 'I made her a painting.'

Charlie paused. He felt all the eyes in the hallway burning in to him, waiting for his next move. 'Soon.' He said finally.

'Is she at work?' Olly asked. Charlie felt a lump in his throat as he realised that the only time Georgie was ever away from Olly was when she was at work.

'Yeah.' Charlie said. 'There was an accident and lots of poorly people. Mummy's making them all better.'

Olly wriggled out of his grip and ran back down the hallway, seemingly oblivious.

'Nanny!' He called. 'Let's make another painting!'

Grace gave Charlie a small, solemn smile and then followed Olly in to the kitchen. Once Olly was out of earshot, Max finally spoke.

'Thank god it wasn't her.' He said, shivering, recalling the relief in his son-in-law's voice when he had called to say it wasn't Georgie.

Charlie nodded. 'But we still have no idea where she is.' He said flatly. 'What has happened to her. What she might be going through.'

Max flinched at the thought of his daughter in trouble. It wasn't like Georgie to disappear. She was tough. She loved her family, and only something serious would stop her from getting in contact.

'Did the police say anything? What leads they're following up?'

Charlie shook his head. 'They wouldn't tell me anything.' He pulled his shoes off angrily and threw them across the hallway. For the first time in a long time, he felt completely useless again. Without the protection of the army, 2 section and special forces, he couldn't do anything.

'If anything has happened to her...' He started, clenching his fists. But he didn't know how to finish. What could he do? Nothing. He was a civilian now, a useless, powerless civilian, and all he could do was wait until his wife was found.

'She'll be back with us.' Max said, as if he believed it.

'Yeah.' Charlie said, but he knew Max was as worried as he was.

...

DCI Turner stood in front of the board for about the fiftieth time that day, staring at the photos and annotations that had been drawn and pinned up by himself and various members of his team. Right in the centre of the board were pictures of the victims, and just off to the right was a photo of Georgie, slightly apart from the others. All the other victims had been identified, but there was no sign of Georgie.

They had been so close. After combing through CCTV, identifying some of the perpetrators and matching it up with phone records they had managed to pin point a possible location. When the call had come in they had scrambled to the place of interest, but the only person there was the young woman that Mr James had failed to identify. Turner had thought it was Georgie. She was found in a lock up just a few miles away from the scene, and some of Georgie's belongings were with her. But now they had another victim and still no sign of Georgie.

There must be something we are missing, Turner thought, and decided to go through the tapes himself, once more for good measure. He opened up the recordings on the desktop of his computer, together with the detailed log his team had produced, a timeline of Georgie's movements. He knew he would be there for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

2 days earlier

'How do I look?' Georgie asked from the doorway of the living room.

'Ah you look beautiful love.' Grace replied. 'Is Olly asleep already?'

'Yeah he was exhausted. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.' Georgie said, opening up her bag and checking she had the essentials.

'Charlie still not home?' Grace asked.

'Nah he's been held up at work. He says he'll meet me there.' As she checked her hair in the mirror, she heard a buzz from inside her bag and pulled out her phone. 'Ah that's the taxi. See you later! Don't wait up!' She gave Grace a quick hug and then grabbed her jacket and keys, and left.

The journey was only short, just ten minutes. All the way there Georgie was running the conversation she wanted to have with Charlie through her head. She knew he would be excited. He had wanted this for so long, and he had been so patient and understanding. She still wasn't 100% sure she was ready to have another baby, but in all honesty she wasn't sure if she'd ever feel 100% ready. Olly had been a complete surprise and now she couldn't imagine life without him. Charlie was right; it was amazing seeing Olly's love and admiration for his older brother, and she thought he would benefit from having a sibling who was around all the time. She had made work fit in with her family life before, she could do it again with Charlie's help.

As if he read her mind, Georgie's phone began to ring and she answered.

'Hey.' She said brightly.

'Hi.' He replied. 'Sorry I'm so late. I'm on my way there now, I'll be 10 minutes max.'

'That's fine.' Georgie replied, paying the driver and mouthing a quick thank you as she climbed out of the taxi. 'I've just arrived now. I'll go in and get some drinks ordered.'

'Perfect,' He said. 'I can't wait to see you.'

'Me too.' Georgie smiled. 'I want to talk to you about something.'

'Oh?' Charlie replied. 'Sounds ominous?'

'It's nothing bad.' Georgie said. 'I'll see ya soon. Love ya.'

'Love you too.' Charlie said.

Charlie was stuck in traffic. He had planned to go home and get a taxi with Georgie, then they could both relax and have a few drinks, but work had as it often did got in the way and now he was late. As he pulled up near to the restaurant he looked around for a parking space. It was already so busy. He sighed, muttering under his breath as someone pulled out in front of him without indicating, and finally swung the car down a side road where he managed to find a space. He had just parked when he heard a distant bang and the shattering of glass.

Unclipping his seat belt he quickly got out of the car and looked around. He couldn't see anything but started to jog towards the main road, expecting to see a couple of cars smashed together in the middle of the road. Thankfully within a couple of minutes he could see the restaurant he was going to with Georgie a few hundred metres up, and he knew she would already be inside safe. He slowed his pace slightly and walked up the road towards it. As he got to the window he looked through, searching for her but he couldn't see her. This wasn't of concern as the restaurant also snaked around the back of some of the adjoining buildings, and he was sure she would be sat on one of the tables which wasn't visible from the window. That was one of the reasons they liked this restaurant so much - it was full of little alcoves and it felt quite intimate. They didn't get the chance to go out just the two of them very often, and it was nice to have some privacy when they did.

'Hi.' Charlie said as he approached the waiter at the front of the restaurant. 'We have a booking for James. Sorry I'm a bit late.'

'No problem.' Said the waiter, ticking their name from his list and beckoning for Charlie to follow. 'Come this way.'

He led Charlie around the corner and to his surprise, Georgie wasn't at the table.

'Um... is my wife not here yet?' Charlie asked.

'No, sir.' The waiter said. Charlie began to feel a little concerned. He pulled his phone out of his pocket again and dialled her number, but as he did so there was a second bang. This one was so loud that it felt as though the whole floor of the restaurant shook. The other diners looked around in shock and confusion as they felt the rumble inside their stomachs and then heard a distant crackling like fireworks.

Charlie instantly knew this wasn't just a car crash. He jumped out of his seat and strode out of the restaurant, looking left and right when his eyes caught a glow reflecting on one of the shop windows further down the street. He began to run towards it, his phone pressed to his ear as he did so. It went straight to voicemail. 'Fuck sake Georgie.' He hissed under his breath as he ran faster towards the glow. Car alarms were sounding and people were starting to spill out on to the main road, running towards him screaming in terror. It wasn't alien to Charlie to be running the opposite way to crowds of frightened people. Although it had been many years since he was in the army, he had been in for so long that it had remained a part of him.

The road turned to the right and it was then that he caught sight of the car. It was rammed in to a shop window, roaring in flames, and not only were there injured people strewn over the path with impact injuries but also many people bleeding profusely from what appeared to be gun shot wounds. Charlie's heart leapt and began to pound hard in his chest as he looked wildly around him for the shooter, and also for Georgie who had also been in this very area at pretty much the same time as the explosion but had not reached the restaurant.

There was no sign of Georgie and no sign of the shooter. Charlie dialled her number again whilst running towards a woman who was screaming frantically, clutching a man who he presumed to be her husband in her arms. Charlie could tell just by looking at him that the man was dead. He had a bullet wound to his chest and his clothes were soaked in blood. He was surrounded by a pool of blood and there was so much of it that it almost looked as though his wife had been shot too. 'I'm so sorry.' Charlie said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around the woman's shoulders, she was shaking violently. 'Help will be here soon.'

He stood up and looked around, still on high alert for danger as other people frantically ran past him, shell shocked, not sure which way might lead them back in to the path of the shooter. He could hear sirens approaching in the distance, growing louder by the second. He tried Georgie again. It rang this time, but she didn't answer. He jogged down the street, looking for something - anything - that could lead him to her. He couldn't even bear to think about the fact that she might be under that car.

The flames were so strong that he couldn't get close enough to see whether there were any victims lying beneath it or in the shop. 'Did you see anyone inside?' He shouted to anyone who passed by, but they all continued to run in terror. He held the phone to his ear again as it rang, and then something caught the corner of his eye which made him turn his head in horror.

It was a few meters away from the burning car, so close that the heat from the car was almost too hot for him to reach for it. He managed to grab it and then fell backwards, taking gasps of fresh air to rid his lungs of the acrid smoke. The screen was lit up with a picture of Olly. He felt like he couldn't breathe. It was Georgie's phone.


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie couldn't sleep. He hadn't slept for more than an hour or two since Georgie had gone missing. It had been over 48 hours now and although his body felt physically exhausted, his mind just wouldn't switch off. It was like he was Captain again on a mission - he couldn't rest until the mission was complete.

He lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. It had taken a long time to get Olly to sleep that night without his Mum there. He might have been three, but he wasn't stupid. Although Georgie wasn't always there for bedtime due to the shifts she worked, if she wasn't there when Olly went to sleep she was always there in the morning when he woke up. She had never left Olly for this long. He knew something was going on, and as hope seemed to be fading Charlie didn't know how much longer he could keep this from his son.

'Where are you, Georgie?' Charlie asked in to the darkness. He reached out and gripped her pillow tightly. It still smelt like her. If he closed his eyes and buried his head in to it, he could almost pretend she was here with him.

The first 24 hours had been the worst. After finding Georgie's phone, Charlie had been convinced that she must have been inside the building or under the car. She hadn't got in contact in the hours that followed and he knew that if she was able to, she would have called someone. Once Grace learned what had happened she had called Max, who had driven down immediately and arrived in the early hours of the morning. Together they faced a heart wrenching wait as forensics swept the building for signs of victims under the car and in the building.

Miraculously there was only one victim found inside the burnt out building, a male who was found under the car. When Charlie learned of this he felt a huge sense of relief, but then he felt another wave of worry as there was no trace of Georgie at all. All the victims who had been found at the scene had been recovered, and none of them were Georgie. Again Charlie knew that if she could have called, she would have done, and his worry intensified.

Charlie got out of bed and pulled on a sweatshirt which was draped over the end of the bed. He crept down the stairs, careful not to wake Olly or his parents-in-law who were sleeping next door in the guest room. He took his keys from the sideboard and carefully let himself out of the house, locking the door behind him. He found himself driving around, looking for any sign of Georgie. He retraced the route she would have taken in the taxi. The driver had recalled the location of the drop off, which was the other side of the explosion site from the restaurant. The police hadn't told Charlie much about their investigation but he knew they had watched Georgie along the street from the drop off area and that she had gone to help the victims when the car first struck the building. After that, she had never made it to the restaurant and had been seen being bundled in to a vehicle by the occupants of the now burnt out car.

Charlie drove the same route about ten times and then circled the town centre, driving past the area which was taped off and guarded by the police, who were still investigating. He didn't know what he was looking for. Clearly someone had taken Georgie against her will and they were very good at covering their tracks. He drove and drove for hours until the first hints of light began to creep across the sky. Streaks of purple, orange and red dispersed randomly like slashes of pain. Charlie had always enjoyed watching the colours dance across the sky as the sun came up, but not today. Today it marked the start of another day without Georgie.

...

'Have you been here all night, boss?' Kelly asked, handing Turner a coffee as she walked in to the office.

'Yep.' Turner said, running his hands through his hair and then taking the coffee from her. 'Thanks.'

'Have there been any developments?'

'Actually yes.' Turner replied, moving some of the pieces of paper which were littered across his desk. 'Briefing in an hour.'

Kelly nodded, and after a few gulps of coffee Turner went back to the screen of his computer, capturing the information he needed to share with the rest of the team.

Yesterday had been disappointing. When they recovered the woman from the lock up together with some of Georgie's belongings, they had been almost sure it was her. Although it was certainly good news for her family when Mr James confirmed the body was not Georgie's, it did leave the police with even more unanswered questions. Who was the woman they had recovered, how did she end up with some of Georgie's belongings, and where was Georgie? Turner had worked tirelessly through the night, and just as he was about to call it a night he had a bit of a breakthrough. The team had managed to identify some of the occupants of the car, who they believed had kidnapped Georgie, yesterday morning and some further research had led them to a number of addresses and phone numbers. They had been monitoring the lines and yesterday, one of the phones had made a brief emergency call which had only just connected but was quickly cut off. They had responded quickly and that was what had led them to the lock up. Unfortunately by the time they got there, there was only one occupant and she had died shortly after being taken to hospital.

Once they had been to the lock up and it was being examined for forensics the team had been combing through CCTV in the area, trying to catch sight of how they might have moved, and whether Georgie was still with them. This was not an easy task because the area around the lock up was a CCTV black spot, unsurprisingly, and so they had to hedge their bets on catching sight of something of interest in the wider area.

Turner had promised himself just one more tape at around 4am. He needed to get his head down for a couple of hours so that he could wake up with a fresh mind in the morning. Just as he was becoming tired, he caught a dark coloured vehicle a few streets away from the lock up, which approached in the direction of the lock up and then 15 minutes later drove back in the opposite direction. It was not the same vehicle which had been seen leaving the scene with Georgie and the others inside, but it was empty apart from the driver when it approached and it was then full when it left. The camera angle on that tape wasn't good enough to catch sight of the occupants' faces, but Turner managed to follow the car a few miles down the road and that was when he had the breakthrough. In the front, the driver was unknown, but next to him was one of the wanted men who they had identified as the perpetrators of the attack. And although the rear windows were tinted so he couldn't identify the other occupants, that had led him to believe that Georgie had also been in that car being driven away from the lock up just as the police responded to the emergency call. They had missed her by minutes.


	6. Chapter 6

3 days before

As Georgie looked up and saw the head lights of the car, she knew immediately that it was going too fast to make the junction. It swerved out of control as if it had a mind of its own, through a crowd of pedestrians who dispersed like skittles as it hit them, then smashed straight in to a shop front about twenty meters away from her. She stared in horror for a couple of seconds before running forwards to try to help some of the injured.

There were people crying and screaming, clutching injured loved ones in their arms and some simply watching the situation unfold, completely in shock. Georgie was in medic mode almost immediately, ready to triage the injured. 'What's your name, love?' She asked a lady who was standing perfectly still, her eyes wide, by the scene.

'Carol.' The lady replied softly.

'Carol I need you to do something important for me. Can you phone 999? Say it's a major incident with multiple casualties and we need police, ambulances and fire.'

Carol nodded, but didn't take her eyes off the scene.

'I need you to do it now, Carol. Do you understand?'

The woman nodded and then made the call. Georgie touched her firmly on the shoulder and then scanned the other casualties, deciding which needed her help first. She had seen 3 of them within a couple of minutes and with the help of their loved ones and bystanders, helped makeshift tourniquets and showed them how to immobilise injuries. There were two casualties who appeared to be very serious, and she was just about to start CPR on one of them when the car exploded and burst in to flames with an enormous deafening bang. Georgie reeled backwards, the explosion ringing in her ears and the smoke sticking in her throat. As she stood up straight again and began to get her bearings, she was stopped in her tracks.

Instinct took over as Georgie dropped to the floor. It was unmistakeable. Someone was shooting. There were more screams as the atmosphere became hysteric and people started to run. Georgie looked up and she noticed that the occupants of the car had managed to get out, one appeared to be badly injured and the others were trying to help. She got up and started to run forwards to help when one of the occupants raised a gun right at her.

'I'm here to help!' She said, raising both hands in the air. 'I'm a medic. Let me help you.'

She didn't know whether she was trying to stop them from shooting her or distract them to give the people around them more time to run, but she stood there staring him right in the eyes. 'What's happened to her?' She asked. 'I can help. I promise.'

The man hesitated, and lifted his gun as if he was going to shoot.

'Don't!' One of the other occupants who was helping the staggering girl away from the scene of the explosion shouted. 'Please help her!'

'We don't have time.' The gun man replied, the gun still held up at Georgie.

'Take her with us.' He replied. 'Please. We need help.'

The gun man hesitated, and then suddenly lunged forwards, grabbing Georgie by the hair. Georgie squirmed in his grip as he went through her pockets and threw her phone to the floor.

'You're coming with us!' The man ordered, his pace quickening as they followed the other occupants of the car away from the scene. Georgie's heart was pounding in her chest. 'I need to help these people!' She cried. 'Please let me help them. I can help all of you.'

'They don't deserve our help.' Said the man, grabbing the door of a car which had just pulled up and opening it before throwing Georgie in. Before she had time to react any further the other occupants had jumped in together with the girl who appeared badly injured.

'Help her.' The man ordered, still pointing the gun at Georgie.

Georgie was shaking, she could barely think straight but she did what he said, checking the girl over. She was writhing in pain and she had an open leg fracture which had presumably been caused by the impact. It was mangled and it appeared she had been torn from the car.

'We had to pull her out of the car.' The youngest man, who had asked for Georgie's help in the first place said.

'She needs to go to hospital.' Georgie said.

'No hospital!' The gunman said, waving the gun in Georgie's face. 'No hospital and no police. You come with us and help her.'

'I want to help her but I have no medical supplies and she needs surgery.' Georgie said, shakily.

'We will get what you need.' The man said sternly. 'You have to do it.'

'She will die if she doesn't have surgery in a hospital.' Georgie said.

This angered the gun man as he put his finger on the trigger. Georgie felt so sure that he was about to pull it that she closed her eyes, bracing herself. Please let it be quick, she thought, as the image of Charlie and Olly flashed before her eyes.

'Don't!' The younger man shouted. 'She's the only hope we have. If you kill her, who's going to look after Shab?'

Georgie opened her eyes as the gunman hesitated, and then he finally took the gun away from Georgie's face. 'Alright.' He said. 'But no hospitals. She dies, you die. Do you understand?!'


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note - thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far. It's always fantastic to get some feedback especially when you have all been so kind :) Hope you enjoy chapter seven.**

'Daddy, daddy! He's here!'

Charlie leapt out of the arm chair and followed Olly to the front door. Olly excitedly danced around as Charlie turned the key and pulled the handle down to open the door.

'Hi, Dad.' Sam said, and then laughed as Olly almost ran full pelt in to him for a hug. 'Hi, Olly.'

'Sam come see what Nanny got me!' Olly said, pulling Sam by the hand in to the house.

Once the boys were out of ear shot, Charlie smiled weakly at Rebecca who was still standing on the door step.

'Thanks for this.' He said flatly. 'It's just what Olly needs, a bit of distraction. Some company.'

What he really meant was that he needed a bit of distraction and company as well. He needed something - anything - to keep his mind off Georgie and the hours that were still ticking by.

'Any news?' Rebecca asked flatly, her eyes scanning over Charlie's exhausted features. They had been over many years before but she still cared.

Charlie shook his head. 'Nothing.'

'They'll find her.' Rebecca said. It felt awkward singing Georgie's praises but she had never disliked her. More importantly, Sam had always liked her and had always come back from their home happy. 'She's strong, isn't she. Whatever situation she's in, she'll find her way out.'

Charlie hoped more than anything that that was true. It just seemed so ironic that they had both left the army in order to avoid this very situation happening, and now it had happened again yet this time Charlie couldn't launch a rescue mission. He felt utterly useless, and being expected to sit and wait by the police just made him more and more restless.

'I'll pick Sam up after dinner, is that alright?' Rebecca asked. 'We have to go up to my Mum's tomorrow early morning so I need him in bed at a reasonable time.'

'Yeah that's fine.' Charlie said, and then they said their goodbyes and he shut the door.

He followed Olly's excited voice towards the kitchen, where he was showing Sam some toys that Grace and Max had bought him that morning when they had gone to the shops to give Charlie a break. In actual fact, a break wasn't what Charlie needed at all. The whole time Olly had been gone, he had been frantic, pacing the house and running through imaginary scenarios in his head. What if something happened to Olly too? He was the only part of Georgie that he had left. How would he explain that to Georgie if - when - she came back, and her son was gone? By the time they got back he was absolutely exhausted but desperately happy that Olly was safe. Then Rebecca has called, and Charlie was glad that Sam's visit today was going to happen as planned.

Charlie watched as the boys care freely played with the toys together. He watched as Sam picked up an aeroplane and swooped it high above Olly's head before landing it on his stomach, as his little brother roared with laughter. It was like a little light at the end of a tunnel, a little bit of happiness in amongst a huge black hole.

..

'Boss!' Kelly said boldly as she walked in to Turner's office. 'Sorry to disturb you but I think you'll want to know this.'

'What is it, Kelly?' Turner asked, looking up from the papers he had been combing through on his desk.

'There's an incident in city park. Looks like a suicide bomber.' Kelly said. 'I just got off the phone to counter-terror. It might be linked?'

'Let's get down there.' Turner said, pushing his chair back as he stood up so violently it hit the wall as he grabbed his keys and folded his coat over his arm.

...

After lunch, Charlie took the boys for a walk in the woods. It was good to get out and get some fresh air, and the boys enjoyed running around with a football. Charlie felt guilty as he hadn't really been giving Olly the attention he needed over the past few days. He was there - of course he was - but his mind was always on Georgie. The first thing he thought about when he woke up in the morning was her. The only thing he saw when he closed his eyes was her. She was on his mind all night, during the brief hours that he managed to get some sleep. He always woke up restless and even more exhausted than he had felt when he shut his eyes, because his thoughts of her were so intense that his body didn't have any time to properly rest.

When they got back from the woods the boys settled in front of the TV while Charlie started to make them some lunch. Grace and Max had just got back from another trip out, and were upstairs in the guest room. Everyone was trying to keep busy, but nobody wanted to leave the house for long in case there was any news. As Charlie buttered a few slices of bread the hum of the television in the background distracted him. He stopped spreading and stood perfectly still for a couple of seconds, trying to work out what they were watching - it wasn't cartoons. He marched out of the kitchen and in to the living room to find that the boys were watching the news.

'The Police haven't formally confirmed the details of the incident, but we understand this is potentially terrorist related and may relate to the town centre attack 3 days ago, in which five people have lost their lives and 1 person is understood to be still missing.'

Charlie's blood ran cold and his heart began to pound in his chest. He could see nothing except the journalist and the flashing lights of the police vehicles in the background, but he had an overwhelming gut feeling that he had to get down there right now.

'Grace?' He shouted up the stairs, and after a couple of seconds when she didn't respond he shouted it again louder. 'Grace!'

He heard the door swing open and her scrambled footsteps on the landing.

'What's happened?' She asked, he could hear both panic and excitement in her voice. 'Is it Georgie? Is there news?'

'I don't know.' Charlie said, shoving his shoes on as quickly as he could and grabbing the car keys. 'But I have to find out. Please could you watch the boys?'

'Of course.' Grace said, running down the stairs and in to the lounge with Max right behind her. Their eyes fell on the TV which was still on the news channel. They were transfixed for a few seconds, watching the banner scroll across the bottom of the screen and watching the flashing lights, trying to catch any glimpse of Georgie. But she could see nothing.

'Come on boys.' Grace said finally, grabbing the remote and changing it to cartoons. 'We don't want to be watching the news.' She turned to Max and could see the fear that she felt right there in his eyes. More than anything they wanted to be there with Charlie, in case this was something to do with their little girl. But Grace knew that if there was anyone who could help out of the there of them then it was Charlie, and Georgie would want them to keep Olly safe.


	8. Chapter 8

3 days before

It had taken Georgie so long to get over the events of Kenya. For so long she had buried it, thrown herself in to her work and pretended that everything was ok. It wasn't until after she had left the army and she and Charlie both sought help that she had managed to properly get through the trauma and move forwards together. She still thought about it occasionally, but she was able to do so without it affecting her too much. But now here she was, captured by terrorists and it felt as though she couldn't escape from it all over again.

Except this time, there was no Elvis to rescue her, and no 2 section because once you were out of the army, you were out.

Georgie's hands trembled as she got to work on the young woman who was laid on the floor of the lock up. She was still very conscious of the gun which was still in her face.

'I need to put a chest drain in.' She said, 'She can't breathe because of the pressure on her lungs.' She rifled through the limited first aid kit that had been provided. 'I need a scalpel and a tube.'

'You'll have to make do.' The gunman (she still didn't know his name) barked at her.

'I can use the scissors but they need to be sterilised. But I don't have a tube.' Georgie said. 'Please could you get the gun out of my face?'

The gunman ignored her, but then the younger man put his hand on top of the gun and pushed it downwards.

'Can you just do what she says?' He asked, Georgie could sense desperation in his voice. Humanity. 'Whatever it takes to help Shab.'

The gunman thought about it for a few seconds and then tucked the gun in to the back of his trousers, before marching off to the other side of the lock up.

'These scissors need sterilising.' Georgie said to the young man. 'Do you have a lighter or something? And I need a tube of some sort.'

He scrambled around in the lock up looking for a lighter and some tubing. Eventually he found the lighter and a piece of rubber tube and took it to Georgie.

'Good.' She said. 'That will do. Now I need you to hold the scissors in the flame until they're really hot.'

He did as he was told. Georgie took the scissors from him and felt the girl's chest for the correct position. Once she had found it she pushed the scissors through her flesh. She cried out in pain. 'I'm sorry.' Georgie said softly. 'You'll feel better in a minute I promise.'

She inserted the tube in the hole and pushed. After a couple of seconds there was a whoosh of air and the girl relaxed as she was finally able to breathe properly again. Blood spilled out of the tube and over the floor. 'Do you have something we can use to collect this?' Georgie asked, and then shook her head. 'Actually don't worry - I need you to help me tape this in place. Take the tape out of the first aid kit and stick some strips around this tube to keep it in place.'

Once the drain was secured, Georgie took off her coat and placed it over the girl who was shivering.

'Thank you.' She said weakly.

'That's alright.' Georgie said. 'Now I'm going to check you over ok, for any other injuries.'

She felt the girl all over, a couple of times she winced in pain.

'I'm worried about her pelvis.' She said. 'Look she really needs to go to hospital. You could just drop her off, I could take her in-'

'No!' The gun man shouted, striding across the room and grabbing Georgie by the throat. 'Are you deaf? Or just fucking stupid? I told you no hospitals.'

Georgie struggled in his grip. 'Ok!' She croaked. 'Please let me go. I'm here to help you.'

The man let her go and she dropped to the floor, clutching her neck, gasping for air. The young man said nothing this time, just looked down at the floor. Georgie thought she might be able to win him over and then they might be able to escape. It might be their only chance. But she didn't want to leave this young girl - she looked terrified and her injuries were severe. She was torn between wanting to run for her life, and not wanting to leave her behind just as she had been forced to leave behind Kiki all those years ago.

...

All night, Georgie pretended to be asleep but her mind was buzzing. She lay next to the girl who was asleep on the floor covered in Georgie's jacket, and the young lad slept in the chair a few meters away. Georgie kept a close eye on the gun man who remained near the only door to the lock up for almost the entire night. When it was almost morning, she heard his phone buzz in his pocket and for a few minutes he stepped outside.

Georgie picked up the lighter and threw it at the young lad to wake him. He stirred and she threw the roll of tape from the first aid kit. His eyes snapped open, he looked dazed.

'Oi.' Georgie hissed, as quietly as she could so as not to alert the gun man. 'What are we even doing here?'

He hesitated, and then shook his head. 'Just do as he says. He won't hurt you if you do as he says.'

'She needs to go to hospital.' Whispered Georgie.

'Well you heard what he said.' He replied. 'No hospitals.'

'Look.' Georgie hissed. 'I know you're frightened of him. But if she doesn't go to hospital she will die. That drain will get infected. It's just a temporary fix.'

She could see fear and apprehension in the lad's eyes. He doesn't look much older than sixteen, Georgie thought.

'Look it won't be much longer and then we can go.' He said. 'This has been planned for ages. We can't stop now.'

'What has?' Georgie hissed, but then she heard footsteps coming back towards the lock up and she shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep again.

...

As time went on, the girl's condition deteriorated. She became feverish and lethargic, she no longer seemed to be in much pain as she was slipping in and out of consciousness. The gunman never left the room long enough for her to speak to the lad and persuade him that they had to escape. It was so frustrating, watching this girl slip away when all they seemed to be doing was waiting around and not doing anything.

After another night where Georgie barely slept except for an hour or two where she could hardly keep her eyes open, Georgie was beginning to give up hope. She hadn't been given any food since they got to the lock up, and had barely drunk any water. She had begged for water for herself and the young girl a couple of times but the gunman wasn't very forthcoming. She had a banging headache and her lips and throat were dry. She began to feel confused and weak as dehydration really began to set in.

'We need more water.' Georgie begged. 'She's still feverish. Her mouth is dry. I can't do my job if I'm dehydrated.'

The gunman considered this for a few moments and then threw a water bottle at Georgie. 'Last one.' He said. 'Make it last.'

Georgie tipped as much water as she could in to the girl's mouth and then took a few gulps herself. Her body ached for more water. She could easily have drunk the whole bottle in one, but she knew she had to make it last for both of them.

Finally the gunman got another phone call and left the lock up for longer this time. It was long enough for Georgie to get to work on their escape.

'Look at her.' She said firmly to the lad. 'She is dying. She hasn't had enough water, she can't eat, and she hasn't passed urine in ages. She has a fever and her chest drain is infected. She's in agony but her body is shutting down. She won't last another night.'

The lad hesitated, looking at the girl's grey and bloodied face. 'You're lying.' He said.

'I'm not.' Georgie said. 'I just want to help her. Help you. What is going on here? Why are you so scared?'

The lad hesitated. 'It's complicated.'

'It isn't.' Georgie said. She could tell that she was starting to break through. 'She will die if she doesn't get to the hospital. Why don't you call for an ambulance? Then she can go to hospital.'

'He'd kill me.' He said, running his hands through his hair nervously. 'This plan - it's all that matters. We agreed to do this and we can't let him down. If we die then so be it.'

'Well you might feel that way but what about her?' Georgie hissed. 'She's desperate. She's in pain.'

The lad looked at the girl lying on the floor, and then shut his eyes tightly.

'What's your name?' Georgie asked.

'Shaks.' He said quietly, but then he gritted his teeth and let out a frustrated cry. 'Stop getting in my head will you!'

'I'm not trying to get in your head.' Georgie lied. 'I'm trying to help you. Both of you. It's not too late to get out.'

Shaks shook his head. 'If he finds out it was me...'

'He won't.' Georgie said. 'All I need is your phone. Look just leave it on the side and go to the toilet. You don't even have to be part of it. All I have to make is one call and they'll come and help her. We have to do it now or she's got no chance.'

He hesitated, then finally put the phone down on the table. 'This is for her not for you.' He said, and then marched quickly in the opposite direction of the gun man. Georgie seized her opportunity. She jumped up and lurched forward, grabbing the phone from the table and dialing 999 as adrenaline pumped through her body. She heard the call connect but didn't even have the chance to say anything before the gunman appeared out of nowhere.

'Shak!' He shouted, and then ran forwards, grabbing the phone from Georgie and throwing it against the wall with such force that it broke up and a piece of it ricocheted off Georgie's cheek. 'You'll pay for this!' He shouted, holding the gun to Georgie's head.

'Please!' Georgie said, putting her hands above her head in surrender and shutting her eyes. 'I just want to help her. She's dying, it doesn't need to be this way. You can leave her here, they'll find her. Please. I'm a medic, I just want to help. I'll stay with her.'

Shaks burst out of the room at the back.

'You left your phone on the side, you imbecile!' The gunman shouted.

'I didn't mean to-' he began.

'Silence!' The gunman shouted.

He dropped Georgie to the floor and kicked her hard a few times in the stomach. Georgie cried out and cupped her arms around her head, waiting for his boot to collide with her head. She was slipping out of consciousness but could hear Shaks pleading with him to leave.

'Come on!' He said. 'Just leave her! We can still do it!'

Georgie wondered what he was talking about but she didn't have the strength to fight. She could see Olly running around in the park, to Charlie, who was picking him up and flying him around. She focussed on the warmth of the sun and the joy she felt inside as she watched the pure happiness on her son's face. She didn't feel the pain anymore, and she wasn't scared. He was all that mattered


	9. Chapter 9

As he got close to the park, there was a road block and there were dozens of news vans grid locking the road even further. Charlie abandoned the car and began to run. He still couldn't see what was going on, but he had a knot of dread deep in his stomach and he just knew. This had to be something to do with Georgie.

He wasn't scared for his own life as he sprinted towards the park entrance. There was a police cordon across the main entrance and he tried to get through but they wouldn't let him. The police were armed and his stomach turned over as he realised the situation had to be gravely serious.

Anxious members of the public were being quickly escorted away from the area but he dodged through the crowds, trying to find a break in the cordon. He just had to see for himself what was going on - if nothing else, for reassurance that it was nothing to do with Georgie. He was going mad at the thought of what might be happening to her. Being out of control was not something he found easy to deal with. Every time he found an entrance to the park it was being guarded. He stepped back and looked around, trying to find a weak spot he could break through without attracting the attention of the armed officers.

Eventually when he was sure nobody had eyes on him he ducked in to some thick, high bushes which formed a boundary on one edge of the park. He quietly found his way through, he needed the element of surprise and he did not want the police to think he was a terrorist. When he got to the edge and he knew he was in the park, he peered through the bushes at the area beyond. It was crawling with armed police, he could see counter-terror officers and the atmosphere was very tense. There was a further cordon about 200m away, and he couldn't see from his location what they were looking at.

He crept through the bushes towards the direction of the cordon. There were too many officers in the way, he still couldn't see. Fuck it, he thought, and leapt out of the bush and ran towards the second cordon. It was a few seconds before anyone noticed him coming towards them, and by then he was going quickly enough to get close without being caught. As he reached the second cordon he felt strong arms being wrapped around him but they couldn't get him away quickly enough - as they took him down to the floor he caught sight of what they were looking at. It felt like his heart stopped dead for a couple of seconds as his eyes fell on the crumpled figure on the floor.

...

1 day before

At first Georgie thought she was dead.

She tried to open her eyes but everything was black. She tried to sit up but there was something in the way. She was so weak but she managed to find the strength to feel around the darkness, and it was then that she realised she was in a box. She panicked. Had the bastards buried her alive? She smashed her hands on the sides of the box but nobody answered. Everything was quiet except for the sound of her own gasps and screams. She writhed around, trying to kick her way out of the box but it was so strong and she was so tired.

She wondered how long she had been in there already. There was not a single chunk of light in the box, and that meant it was either night time, or the box was completely sealed. She tried to stay calm as she panicked at the thought of slowly dying in this box. Her throat was so dry again and her head was pounding. She couldn't control her breathing and it felt like she had no oxygen.

Eventually she gave in and shut her eyes, and managed to slow her breathing. She knew that there was nothing she could do and she just had to try to distract her mind until it was time to go. She thought about Olly and Charlie. She thought about the happiness she felt on their first Christmas together, just hours after they brought Olly home. She thought about the love she felt for Charlie when she saw what an amazing Dad he had become. She thought about how safe she felt when they cuddled up like spoons in bed with their bodies and hands entwined, and his hot breath on the side of her face.

She was too dehydrated for any tears, but she felt her eyes prickle at the realisation she was probably never going to see Charlie and Olly again. They would never get the chance to have another child. She would never feel Charlie's gentle touch or see the love in his eyes again.


	10. Chapter 10

'Georgieeee!' Charlie cried like a wounded animal as he was dragged away from the cordon. 'Please! That's my wife!'

All hell broke loose as they tried to control him. It had been a long time since Charlie was in the army but he was strong, and he was determined, and he wouldn't give up easily. And then he heard a voice and they stopped struggling against him.

'Wait!' It was Turner.

'That's Georgie!' Charlie pleaded desperately. 'Please, let me get to her.'

'I can't let anyone any nearer than this cordon right now.' Turner replied. 'I understand you're desperate to see her but it's not safe at the moment. We are waiting for bomb disposal to get here.'

'Bomb disposal?!' Charlie repeated. 'Why?'

Turner paused for a couple of seconds.

'Can I trust you not to move?' He asked. 'If they let go?'

'Yes.' Charlie lied, and he felt the grip around his arms loosen off. 'Just tell me what the fucks going on.'

'Georgie appears to be alone but she's wearing a vest.' Turner explained. 'She's not in a good way and I'm worried that if she moves and detonates the vest she might take others with her.'

'I don't care.' Charlie said. 'I'll take the risk.' Before Turner could stop him he pushed past and jumped the cordon.

'Georgie!' He shouted, and he finally saw her move as he reached her. She wasn't dead. Thank god, she wasn't dead.

She was on her knees, he could see how weak she was. She was shivering but clutching the detonator, holding it in front of her.

'Don't come near me.' She whispered desperately. Charlie noticed that her eyes looked broken, they had lost that usual sparkle of determination. She just looked so exhausted and it broke his heart to see her like this. She looked even worse than she had when Elvis had rescued her in Kenya.

'Oh, Georgie.' He said, tears welling in his eyes. He wanted to grab her and hold her tight but he knew that any disturbance to the vest could cause it to blow, and then Olly would be growing up without both his parents. He stroked her hair gently off her face instead, just like he did when they snuggled up on the sofa together in the evening. 'It's going to be ok.'

'I don't know how much longer I can hold it for, Charlie.' Georgie said. 'I'm so tired.'

'Bomb disposal are on their way.' Charlie said. 'It's going to be ok. But you have to be strong. Keep holding that. Don't let it go. Think of Olly.'

'That's all I've thought about. You and Olly.' Georgie said sadly.

'Come back past the cordon Mr James!' Turner shouted over a megaphone.

'She needs water or she's going to collapse!' Charlie shouted back towards the cordon. He knew that if he went over there the officers would grab him and that would be it, and he knew that nobody else would come past the cordon.

One of the officers pulled out a water bottle and Charlie gestured for him to throw it. He was a good aim and Charlie took the bottle back to Georgie and held it to her mouth while she drank it in big gulps.

'I love you.' Georgie said, once she had finished. 'I'm so glad I got the chance to tell you that one last time.'

He could see her breathing becoming laboured, and her eyes were beginning to roll back.

'This isn't the last time, Georgie.' He said. 'And I'm not listening. You have to keep fighting and then you can tell me properly. Bomb disposal will be here any minute and then we can get you to hospital. You can see Olly.'

She shook her head gently. 'Olly... Olly can't see me like this.'

'You'll be ok once you've got some fluids in you.' Charlie said shakily. He looked back towards the cordon desperately, and saw that the bomb disposal unit had arrived. 'They're here Georgie. You just need to be strong for 5 more minutes.'

'Come back now, Mr James!' Said Turner again, more forcefully this time. Charlie ignored him.

Georgie wanted to be strong but it was even an effort to breathe, let alone keep pressure on the detonator. Her thumb was aching as was the rest of her body. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep.

'I can't do this.' She whispered.

'Yes you can.' Charlie said firmly. It reminded her of the day she gave birth to Olly and she was about to give up. Charlie had given her the strength she needed to get through it. 'And then we can go home and enjoy the rest of our lives together.'

A different voice came from behind Charlie. 'I need you to move out of the way, sir, immediately.'

Charlie planted a gentle kiss on Georgie's forehead. 'I love you.' He said, before stepping back a few paces and letting the bomb disposal officer come forwards.

'My name is Pete.' He said. 'I need to examine the device, please stay nice and still. Keep pressure on the detonator.'

Charlie could hardly breathe as he watched Pete examine the vest. He wished more than anything that he could be in Georgie's place. After what felt like forever, Pete stood back and turned to Charlie.

'I'm going to try to disarm it.' He said, and Charlie let out the huge breath he had been holding. 'But you need to move behind the cordon now, sir.'

'I'm not leaving her.' Charlie said, but Georgie interrupted.

'Charlie please.' She begged. 'Olly needs you. He can't lose both of us.'

'He won't lose either of us.' Charlie said.

Charlie did as he was told because if he didn't, Pete wasn't prepared to start and Charlie wanted the vest off her as quickly as possible. As they got to the cordon Pete ordered that they all move further backwards - the exclusion zone was to be extended just in case. Charlie wished he had a big protective suit like Pete's so he could be closer to Georgie. He wanted to catch her as she fell, no matter what.

'Right.' Pete said to Georgie, once the scene had been made safe. 'I'm going to attempt to disarm the device. Keep your thumb on the detonator, ok. Don't let it go until I have made the device safe. If you let go it might blow and I'd quite like to get home for my dinner tonight.'

Georgie managed a weak smile. 'Thank you.'

'Just doing my job.' Pete said. 'Let's do this.'

She tried to control her shivering body as she watched Pete identify the correct cable, and raise the snips to cut it off. It reminded her of the time on tour when Bones cut the wire of the vest and then all had to run to safety. 'Ready?'

She nodded. 'Just get me out of this thing.'

She shut her eyes as she waited for the sound of the snips cutting through the wire, but as soon as it came there was a sudden bleep and Pete's demeanour changed in an instant.

'Get it off now!' He shouted, as the number 10 appeared on the screen at the front of the vest. He scrambled at the fasteners as the numbers began to fall, and everyone began to panic.

'Georgieeee!' Charlie shouted as loud as he could, and he tried to get to her but failed as there were hands on him again, this time so many that he couldn't overcome their strength. They pushed him down to the floor this time, and he had just managed to get back up when the force of the explosion threw him and the others near him backwards. The smoke was so thick he couldn't see for a couple of seconds, and he couldn't hear as his ears were ringing. He sat up and coughed to clear the smoke from his throat, and as it settled he could see two bodies lying perfectly still on the grass in front of him, littered with shrapnel.

'Georgie!' He yelled again, running forwards and grabbing her hand as he got to her. She was completely still, and her body was covered in black soot from the explosion. She looked peaceful, just as she had in Bangladesh after the explosion at the police station. The remains of the vest lay smouldering a few meters back from where she had originally been sitting - once they had torn the vest off they had both run away from it, towards the cordon. They just couldn't get away quickly enough.

'Georgie please speak to me.' He cried, tears running down his face. 'Please don't leave me. I need you. Olly needs you. Please, Georgie tell me where the pain is.'

But she was completely lifeless.


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors note - sorry for the delay in updating this weekend! My daughter has been a little monkey at night and we've had a busy weekend too. Hope you are still enjoying the story and please do leave reviews as it's great to know what you all think :)**

 **This chapter is short so I'll try to get another uploaded tonight**

2 hours before

Georgie was woken at the sensation of being pulled out of the box by her feet and then thrown to the floor. The light was so bright and she couldn't even open her eyes properly.

'Water.' She pleaded, her lips and tongue were so dry. She felt a small stream of water being poured over her face and she swallowed as much as she could. When she managed to open her eyes she saw Shaks standing above her.

'Help me.' She pleaded.

He didn't respond.

'Please.' She said.

'It's too late.' He replied flatly. 'It's time.'

'Time for what?' She croaked, trying to sit up.

'No.' He said, pushing her back down forcefully - the back of her head smashed on to the floor and her head began to spin again. She was too weak. She felt herself drift off again.

When she regained consciousness she was on the move again. She was so delirious that it felt like she was drunk. Her vision was blurred, she didn't have any coordination and everything ached. She felt something stuck to her thumb and realised that something was taped in to her fist.

'What's that?' She asked.

'You'll see.' A voice replied. She recognised it as the gun man. 'Just shut the fuck up and stay still.'

Suddenly the car stopped and they literally threw her out of it. Georgie looked down and realised what she was wearing.

'What's- whats this?' She cried, but she knew exactly what it was. 'Please don't do this.'

'We're not doing anything.' The gunman replied. 'You are. Good luck, you're going to fucking need it.'

And with that they drove off, leaving her alone petrified in the middle of the street, strapped in to an explosive vest with her thumb taped to the detonator. She stood shakily for a few seconds trying to make sense of the situation before realising what she needed to do. She had to get somewhere open, away from other people. She didn't know when this vest might blow, and she didn't want to take anyone else with her.

She staggered along the street and tried to catch someone's attention without alarming them. She was so weak and her mouth was so dry that she could barely speak. The main road was busy with people going about their daily business.

'Please help me.' She tried to say, but nobody was listening. But it wasn't long before someone noticed what she was wearing. Someone shouted the word bomb and everyone began to panic, running this way and that like ants trying to escape a magnifying glass.

'Can someone call the police.' Georgie pleaded, propping herself up on the park railings. Her thumb really ached. Then she realised that this was the perfect place - if she went in to the park she could tell other people not to come near, and if this thing went off no other lives might be lost.

She managed to find the strength to stagger in to the park, half running, desperately looking around her for someone who might be able to help. 'Stay away!' She shouted as loudly as she could manage. 'Get out of the park! Call the police!'

She collapsed in to a heap in the middle of the grass, her thumb still pressed to the detonator, waiting for someone to help. She was so tired but she knew she couldn't sleep as she knew nobody could come near her.

She heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance and took a deep breath, waiting. She closed her eyes and thought about Charlie and Olly, probably cuddled up in front of the sofa watching a film. More than anything she wished she could be there.


	12. Chapter 12

**Authors note - this is another short chapter, but it's an emotional one! As always I would love to know what you think.**

3 weeks later

It was a crisp autumn afternoon, and most of the leaves had fallen from the trees. The empty branches cast skeletal shadows on the ground as the mourners walked towards the church solemnly.

Charlie walked slowly with Grace to his side, and then Max. Nobody said anything. Charlie was still haunted by the image of Georgie lying lifeless and burnt on the ground in front of him. It was chillingly similar to the last image he had of Elvis, after he was blown off the building. Every time he shut his eyes it was there. It had taken him years to file that image of Elvis at the back of his mind.

Charlie heard the rustle of Grace's coat as Max slipped an arm gently around her. How Charlie wished Georgie was here to be with him, and hold him. He tucked his hands in to the pockets of his jacket instead, and felt the crisp piece of paper inside, upon it were the notes he would use to do his reading.

As they approached the church, the sheer number of mourners hit Charlie like a tank. There were hundreds and hundreds of people dressed in their uniforms, it was a true hero's send off. Charlie tried to swallow a lump in his throat as he thought about how pleased Georgie would be if she could see this.

People began to filter in to the church as the hearse pulled up. Charlie walked past a huge wall of flowers that had been left by friends, family and colleagues wanting to pay their respects. They were vibrant and colourful, a small ray of light in amongst a world which felt so dark at that moment.

Charlie stood beside Grace and Max as the coffin was brought in. They watched it make its last journey to the front of the church, where it was placed gently down by uniformed officers. Charlie felt tears form in his throat as he looked at the photo which was placed on top of the coffin. The sparkle and bravery in those eyes, all that promise. Gone in an instant.

The service began but Charlie could barely hear. The trauma of the past weeks had him at breaking point and he felt tears spilling out of his eyes. He had promised himself he would be strong like the captain he once was, but it was so difficult.

'It's ok, love. You'll do her proud.' Grace said, squeezing his hand tightly, tears spilling out of her own eyes. This was by far the most difficult thing she had ever had to do.

Then it was Charlie's turn to stand and do his reading. He took the paper out of his pocket and walked slowly to the front, and stood next to the coffin. He cleared his throat to make a start, but tears were still steaming out of his eyes and his throat was thick. All eyes on the room were on him. The last time that many eyes had been on him, it was he and Georgie's wedding day, and they were looking forward to the rest of their lives together. And now here he was.

He cleared his throat, pulled himself together, and read.


	13. Chapter 13

As they opened the front door and entered the house, they were all completely drained. It was late afternoon, the service had completely taken it out of them and Charlie wanted nothing more than to throw himself down on the sofa and go to sleep.

'How was it?' Marie asked softly as they hung up their coats. 'Actually that's a stupid question. Do you want something to eat?'

Charlie shook his head. 'I'm not hungry.' He said flatly. 'How have they been?'

'Fine.' Lulu replied, smiling weakly. 'They had a bit of lunch. They're in there, having a nap. I think the late night last night tired them out.'

Charlie couldn't wait to get in there. He kicked his shoes off and strode in to the living room where Olly was curled up tightly in a ball, as he always slept. His head rested gently on his Sam's shoulder. He had a look of pure contentment on his face. Charlie felt a lump form in his throat again as he sat down on the sofa next to them and gently kissed each of their heads.

Charlie heard some movement in the corner of the room and turned around. On the other sofa, Georgie opened her eyes and yawned. She had been asleep too.

'How did it go?' She asked. 'The speech?'

'I think you'd have done it better.' Charlie replied, moving on to the sofa next to her and putting his arm out so she could lean against his chest. 'But I did my best.'

'Thank you.' She sighed, closing her eyes as she leant against him and breathed in his smell. 'I wish I could have been there.'

Georgie had wanted more than anything to be there, at the funeral of the bomb disposal officer who had put his own life on the line for her and lost it. They had managed to get the vest off in time and he had thrown it as far away from them as he could, but they just couldn't get away from it fast enough. Despite his protective clothing he was killed in the blast, and although Georgie had been close to death, by some miracle she had managed to pull through. It seemed that, yet again, she had escaped death by a thread.

Nobody could explain why she had managed to survive the blast, with no protective clothing and when she was in such a weak condition as it was. She had been rushed to hospital and had arrested twice on the way there, but by some miracle she had managed to keep her claws stuck in to life, and had pulled through.

She had done her best to get strong enough for the funeral but she had only been released from hospital a few days earlier, and was under strict instructions to rest and stay at home. She felt so lucky to have escaped death again that she actually did as she was told. In any event Olly was so pleased to have her back that he was stuck to her like glue - he wouldn't even let her leave the room without him now that she was home. Family had to come first, and she knew the past few weeks had been incredibly hard for Olly. She didn't want to cause him any further anxiety.

Georgie felt herself dozing back off as Charlie's fingers ran in circles around her shoulder, and up and down her arm. She was so happy to be home that she could happily have laid there with Charlie and the boys, for the rest of her life. So many times during her ordeal she had been certain that she was going to die, and she had been given another chance. But she was certain that this would be her very last chance and she was not going to waste it.

She felt the warmth from Charlie's body radiating in to hers, it was so soothing and after everything that she had been through she needed to feel safe. She wasn't sure if she would ever be the same person again. She had been so close to death this time, her body was so weak. She had been in a coma for a few days after her arrival in hospital and nobody knew if she was going to make it. Her family had taken it in turns to stay by her bedside, Charlie had even brought Olly in to see her in case it was his last chance. But somehow after a few days she had begun to fight, and here she was back home, somewhere she never thought she would see again.

'DCI Turner called today.' Charlie said.

Georgie opened her eyes. 'Is there news?'

'Yeah. They've managed to get some information about the rest of the cell. They're closing in.'

'Good.' Georgie said. The police had managed to bring the two terrorists in to custody within a few hours of her arriving at the park. They had been interrogating them since, hoping to find the rest of the cell. They had managed to avert another planned attack. The vest which Georgie had been found wearing was one of those they had planned to use. There were only two fatalities - the accomplice who Georgie had tried to help, and the bomb disposal officer. No members of the public had been harmed and Georgie felt incredibly lucky to still be alive.

'He's still watching out for me, isn't he.' Georgie said softly after a few moments. 'There's no other explanation for me being alive.' Charlie entwined his fingers with hers and then turned her palm over, rubbing his thumb gently against hers.

'For sure.' He replied.

 **Authors note - hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story twist! :) Just a couple more chapters left and I promise they'll be nice ones to make up for the last few! Did you spot the clues in the previous chapter that it wasn't Georgie's funeral?**


	14. Chapter 14

Georgie laughed as Charlie carried her in to the bedroom and lay her down on the bed gently. 'It's like our wedding night all over again.' She said. 'Except you weren't quite as gentle then.'

'Something like that.' He grinned, leaning down and kissing her so gently, it felt as though he thought she might break.

'I won't break you know.' Georgie whispered as he lay close to her, his face inches from hers, their eyes locked together as if they were stuck there.

Charlie stared in to her eyes for a few seconds before kissing her more deeply. It felt like ages since they had been together like this and he couldn't get enough of her. He had to stop himself abruptly before he went too far and couldn't control himself.

When he stopped kissing her Georgie reached up and ran her hands through his messy curls. He had let his hair grow longer in the past few weeks and he hadn't shaved as much as he usually did, and he looked a bit more rugged. She could still see her Charlie though, the softness and love in his eyes and the strong muscles under his shirt. In fact she quite liked the rugged look.

'I really thought I'd lost you, you know.' Charlie admitted, lying on his side next to her and propping his head up on one elbow. He ran his free hand gently up her body and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear, being careful to avoid the burns which were still tender on the side of her face. 'I don't know what I'd do without you, Georgie.'

'You can never lose me.' Georgie said after a few seconds of silence. 'I'll always be there, a pain in your arse.'

'I'm being serious.' He said, his heart thumping in his chest as he felt emotional again. Him being emotional wasn't what Georgie needed right now, he knew that. He knew she was battling her own terrors right now. He needed to be the constant for her, her sense of safety. But the thought of how close he had come to losing her - again - made him feel sick to his stomach.

'I know.' She whispered, she could feel his heart thumping against hers. She lifted her lips to his and kissed him, softly at first but as he wrapped his arms around her waist and then cupped her head in his hands, pulling her in to him he felt a fire burning in his belly as her kisses became more intense. He pulled away again. 'You need to rest.' He said.

'I need to feel you close to me.' She said, and kissed him again.

Charlie let out a moan as he forced himself to pull away again.

'I don't think you're ready yet.' He said, genuinely concerned. 'I don't want to hurt you.' His eyes fell on the dressings which still covered the burns on her arms.

'Let me be the judge of that.' Georgie replied. 'I just want you to love me.'

'I do love you.' Charlie said entwining his fingers with hers. 'More than anything.'

'Then trust me.' She said. 'And show me.'

She kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck and he relaxed in her hold. He sat up as she wriggled his T-shirt off over his head and then lifted her arms so he could remove hers very gently. His skin was warm against hers and she traced her finger tips over his chest and stomach, faltering as her touch ran over his gun shot scar. She felt as though she was discovering him again for the first time.

Charlie unzipped his jeans and wriggled them off, before easing Georgie's joggers off too. They lay entwined on the bed for a few minutes, kissing and touching every inch of each other.

'You drive me mad.' He whispered, his lips grazing her neck. 'I missed you.'

'I missed you too.' She replied, as their bodies reunited.


	15. Chapter 15

**Authors note - sorry for the delay in posting this chapter! It was going to be the last one but there will be one more. As always thanks so much for the reviews, I love to know what you all think.**

Three months later

Georgie stood nervously in front of the bedroom mirror, concentrating as she fastened the clasp of her necklace. She bit her lip as her eyes fell on the scars that were still apparent down the side of her face.

The physical scars were mostly fading well. The ones on her arms had healed the most, although she knew there would always be marks there. The ones on her face were the worst. Once she had done up the clasp of the necklace she stepped forward and examined her skin more closely. Every time she looked in the mirror and caught sight of the scars left behind, it was like she was back in the park, waiting for the vest to explode.

'Are you ready?' Charlie asked, making her jump slightly as he popped his head around the door. 'Wow.' He said instantly, catching sight of her figure hugging dress.

Georgie smiled. It had been a while since she had made an effort to go out. She had been back at work a few weeks, and now seemed like a good time to do this. Part of her wanted to stay away from there and never go back, but she felt like she had to, to get closure.

'You don't look so bad yourself.' She grinned, straightening his collar affectionately. 'Let's go.'

She let out a long shaky breath, and Charlie slipped his arm around her waist as if to steady her. 'Are you sure you want to do this? We can go somewhere else? You don't always have to be brave, you know.'

'I do.' She replied softly. 'I won't let them win.'

They caught a taxi which dropped them in almost the same place as that night. Charlie paid the driver and then got out and held the door open for Georgie, before he took her hand and they began to walk up the street. He watched her face carefully, looking for signs that it was too much. But just as she always had been, she was brave, and if she was scared she didn't let it show.

As they approached the shop window Georgie slowed down, her eyes fixed on the glass which had now been repaired. It showed no signs of the chaos that had descended almost four months before. The only thing that was different was the addition of some concrete blocks between the road and the pedestrian area, the Council's way of ensuring it couldn't happen here again.

'Are you ok?' Charlie asked, squeezing Georgie's hand.

She nodded. 'Yeah. It just doesn't feel real, you know. It doesn't seem like the same place.'

'I know.' Charlie replied, and took her lead as she took a deep breath and began to walk up the street towards the restaurant.

As she looked down at the pavement, she could see the shadows of people who had fallen in this very square. The woman in the rain coat stood in shock, not knowing whether to run or help. The woman screaming in shock, clutching her husband who had been tossed aside by the car as it screeched across the square and in to the window. The group of students who had jumped out of the way of the car and were silently in shock, checking each other over for injuries before they ran. She shut her eyes and saw the roaring flames as the car exploded, shattering glass everywhere, and the sound of gun shots and screams.

'Georgie?'

She opened her eyes suddenly and realised she had stopped again. Her eyes were swimming with tears and she tried desperately not to let them escape.

'Sorry.' She said, wiping at the corners of her eyes furiously with the sleeve of her jacket.

'What for?' Charlie asked softly, lifting his hand gently to the side of her face.

'I promised myself I wouldn't do this. I wouldn't let them win.'

Charlie pulled her firmly in to his arms and held her tight. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in his smell, the smell that had become her safety ever since they had come home from Bangladesh.

'You're safe.' He said, running his fingers through her hair and pressing his forehead to hers. He could feel the pounding of her heart beat against his chest.

'I don't know what I would do without you.' She sniffed. 'You're always there for me. I feel like you hold me together.'

Charlie smiled. 'It's more like the other way round. But let me be the one to take care of you for a change.'

He wiped her tears away gently before releasing his grip and slipping his arm gently around her waist. 'Shall we?'

Georgie nodded, and smiled weakly. 'Yeah.'

They walked up to the restaurant, and Georgie didn't look back. She took a deep breath and concentrated on what she wanted to do. She wanted to move forwards, get past this, and continue with their lives together.

When they got to the restaurant and were shown to their table, Charlie was the one who struggled. The last time he was here, Georgie hadn't made it. He had only been here for a few minutes when the explosion took place. He tried to shake that night out of his mind, picking up the wine list and scanning through it.

He looked up after a minute or so and saw Georgie staring at him intently. He paused and then smiled as a grin broke out across her face. She looked relaxed and happy. Charlie felt his own body relax as she looked like she was having a good time.

'I missed this.' She said softly, taking his hand in hers on top of the table. 'Time for us. Just the two of us.'

'Me too.' He smiled.

Georgie thought for a moment, and then she bit her lip as she always did when there was something on her mind. 'You ok?' Charlie asked. He knew that look.

She paused for a moment, on edge - it felt like she was about to say something. But finally she just nodded. 'Yeah. Fine.'

'Tell me.' He said. 'Whatever it is.'

Georgie looked down in to her lap, and then looked up in to his eyes sincerely. He knew when there was something she wanted to say. She opened her mouth to speak but just as she was about to do so, the waiter came over to take their drinks order. Georgie was hungry and ready to order food and so they also ordered, and by the time he had gone, Charlie could see it in her face that the moment had gone, and she changed the subject. He didn't want to push her, so he knew he had to wait.


	16. Chapter 16

'I had a great time tonight.' Georgie said in to the darkness of their bedroom.

They had both really enjoyed the evening. Although it was hard, Georgie felt like going back to where it had all happened had given her a sense of closure. She had faced up to what had happened, and she felt like she could finally move forward. Charlie was just glad that they had been able to spend time together doing what they enjoyed, and for most of the evening he had the old Georgie back - bubbly, cocky, and fun.

'Yeah me too.' He said, pulling her close to him and resting his chin on her shoulder from behind, close to her neck.

They lay in the darkness for a few more minutes, neither of them moving or saying anything, but their minds swimming with thoughts. They both had things they wanted to say, but the longer the silence went on, the more awkward it felt to break.

Charlie broke it first.

'Georgie.' He said, his tone almost making it a question. The sincerity in his voice reminded her of how he had been in Belize, when they were in danger and he was in pain, and he was trying to tell her how he felt. At the time she had brushed him off, trying to keep the feelings she had managed to bury inside her hidden. She had known that if she let him break that exterior, she wouldn't be able to keep them buried anymore.

'Yeah.' She whispered, turning to him. It was dark but she could still see the sparkle in his eyes.

Charlie swallowed. 'When I thought I'd lost you...' his voice trailed off as it faltered. She lifted her hand to his skin and ran her fingers up and down his chest slowly, waiting for him to finish. He rested his chin on her head and took a deep breath. 'There are no words I can use to tell you how much I love you, Georgie. You've given me everything. And not just that...' He paused again and she could hear his heart racing as he tried not to let his emotions get the better of him. 'I just don't know what I'd do without you in my life.'

Georgie wanted to say something, but she never had been as good with words as Charlie had.

'I love you too.' She said simply. 'And we need each other. We're a team, don't forget that.'

He kissed her head gently and held her so close that it felt like they were two halves of one, instead of two separate beings.

'Charlie.' Georgie whispered, lifting her head so she could see the slight glint in his eyes, reflecting from the street lights outside.

'Yeah?' He replied.

'I'm ready.' She said softly, and then she was silent as she waited for his response.

'Ready for what?' Charlie asked, but he already knew what she meant.

'I want us to have another baby.' She said. 'A little brother or sister for Olly.'

Charlie felt a jolt of excitement in his stomach. He had wanted this for so long, but he hadn't wanted to push her and after what had happened, he had assumed that it would be off the cards for a long time if not permanently.

'Are you sure?' He asked, struggling to keep a huge smile from his face. 'We don't have to - I mean - you don't feel like I've pressured you, do you?'

'No, no. Of course not.' Georgie replied. 'Everything that's happened has just made me realise what's important. This could be our last chance. Nobody knows what's around the corner.'

Charlie pulled her in to him again and kissed her long and slow. Just as he thought he couldn't love her anymore... she had gone and told him this.

'I wanted to tell you in the restaurant.' She said, her lips only a few millimetres from his. He could still feel the warmth of her breath. 'But it just didn't feel like the right time. This does.'

Charlie smiled, and kissed her again. 'There's nothing I want more than another baby with you.' He admitted between kisses. 'It would be amazing.'

'Let's hope it's a girl this time, I'm a bit outnumbered.' Georgie grinned.

'Two of you?' Charlie joked. 'Hmm I'm not sure about that.'

Georgie laughed as she nuzzled back in to his chest and closed her eyes. She imagined the feeling of a little person inside her again, a little person who was half of each of them. She remembered lying in bed with Charlie and her bump between them when she was pregnant with Olly, kicking away. She smiled as she thought about the first time Charlie felt him kick. It was in this bed, and they were lying in the same position they were now, and Olly had just gone right ahead and kicked his Dad right in the stomach. Charlie had nearly leapt out of bed in shock.

'What are you thinking about?' Charlie asked, feeling her body shake a few times as she laughed silently.

'That first kick.' She smiled. 'The first time Olly kicked you. Do you remember?'

'Yeah.' He grinned. 'The best thing ever. How could I forget?'

They lay in silence for a few minutes until Charlie felt Georgie's breathing level out as she dozed off to sleep. He shut his eyes and relaxed, resting his chin on the top of her head.

'Thank you.' He whispered, and then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

 **Authors note - thank you so much to everyone who has read and especially reviewed the story. This was going to be the end but maybe I'll write one more chapter. Who wants one more? :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors note - thank you for the reviews, as requested here is another chapter. Enjoy!**

Six months later

Georgie was in a bad mood. She was exhausted from a busy day at work, and now Olly was refusing to go to bed and being generally difficult.

'Stop it!' Georgie said as he kicked off his pyjama leg for the tenth time. She was trying to be patient but she could feel a ball of anger rising up in her stomach and she didn't have the energy to stop it.

'I said stop it, Olly!' She shouted, and instantly regretted it. She didn't often lose her temper with Olly but tonight was one of those nights when he was really pushing her buttons.

Georgie watched as tears welled up in Olly's eyes, and she wanted to pick him up and give him a cuddle. She hated seeing him sad.

'That's better.' She said, her voice wobbling as she tried to focus on getting him dressed. 'Now if you got your pyjamas on like I asked, I wouldn't have had to shout.'

She still felt guilty as he obediently pulled his pyjama bottoms up and put his little arms around her neck.

'Sorry Mummy.' He said.

'I'm sorry I shouted.' Georgie replied softly, stroking the curls at the top of his neck gently. 'Now it's time for bed. We're all tired tonight.'

She read him a story and then turned on his nightlight, before kissing him goodnight and heading downstairs to wait for Charlie. He was late tonight, of all the nights he had to be late when she really needed him.

She paced up and down the kitchen for a few minutes, picking up toys that Olly must have strewn across the floor that morning before Charlie dropped him off at nursery. Once she had finished she anxiously looked out of the window for any sign of Charlie, but he still wasn't home. She bit her lip, trying to suppress the temptation to give in.

She waited a couple more minutes and then tried to call him. Straight to voicemail. She swore and tried him again, but still he didn't answer. Then something inside her snapped, and she couldn't wait any longer. Hopefully it would be good news and it might snap her out of this bad mood.

Georgie pulled the test out of her bag and padded back upstairs to the bathroom, hovering outside Olly's bedroom door for a few seconds. He was completely silent and she could tell that he must be asleep already. She went in to the bathroom and closed the door, before sitting down on the cold toilet seat and opening the box.

She held the test in her hands and stared at it, as if it might give her the answer she wanted just by looking at it. She had done so many of these tests in the past few months and been disappointed every month. Every month she thought it would be positive, and she had been wrong. It felt so ironic that Olly had been a complete surprise and had just come along out of the blue, and this time now they were actually trying it was proving impossible. Georgie in particular found that very frustrating as she wasn't used to just letting things happen, she wanted to make them happen just as she always had done.

Georgie took a deep breath and unwrapped the test from its plastic packaging. She had been holding for hours in anticipation of doing this test, and now Charlie was late and that had made her even more frustrated because not only did she want to know, but she was also uncomfortable. Then Olly had been rolling around kicking her in the bladder and that had been the icing on the cake. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she pulled her trousers down and carried out the test.

Once it was done she set it down on the side, washed her hands and pulled her jeans up, before she decided that she needed to busy herself with something else rather than just staring at it for 3 minutes. She changed in to her pyjamas and then padded back towards the bathroom, closing her eyes and saying a silent prayer that this would be the last pregnancy test she ever had to do.

She glanced at her watch before going back in to the bathroom. It had been longer than 3 minutes and so the test should be complete. She hesitated before picking it up - she wanted to know but she didn't. She thought back to the time she had done a test with Olly and Charlie had unexpectedly barged in, and how he had surprised her with how excited he seemed about the whole thing. This time, every time she did a test and it was negative she felt like she was letting him down all over again. She didn't want to feel like that, and she knew he didn't blame her but it still hurt every time there was one line, not two.

It was negative again, and she threw the test in to the bathroom bin and stormed downstairs, throwing herself on the sofa and wrapping herself up in a warm throw in an attempt to feel better. She felt like giving up on the whole thing. She had been unsure about having a second baby for so long, and it felt like ever since she had changed her mind and decided she wanted to do it, everything had gone wrong and no matter what she wanted it wasn't going to happen.

She sat in the dark with the blanket wrapped up around her head and covering her whole body. It was like a little cave of warmth and security and she shut her eyes, wishing that she could snap out of this bad mood and wishing that she had good news to tell Charlie when he came through the door.

When Charlie arrived home half an hour later she was still wrapped up in the blanket, sat up against the back of the sofa and staring in to the darkness. Charlie walked in to the living room and snapped the light on. It hurt Georgie's eyes and she pulled the blanket closer to her eyes to block out the glare.

'Um... what are you doing?' Charlie asked, taking his jacket off and throwing it over the back of the sofa like he often did. It grated on Georgie that he didn't just use the peg in the hallway and she almost snapped, but then she remembered that it wasn't his fault and he didn't deserve that.

'Nothing.' Georgie replied flatly, not even looking in his direction. She felt the anger melting away and being replaced with disappointment, and she didn't want to let him see.

'Are you alright?' He asked, taking a few steps forward until he was standing in front of her.

Georgie nodded. 'Yeah. I don't want to talk about it.'

'Bad day?' Charlie asked, bending down to sit gently next to her. 'Sorry I'm late. A client came in late and then the traffic was terrible.'

'It's ok.' Georgie said, biting her lip as hard as she could to stop the tears from falling.

Charlie said nothing for a moment as he watched her. She wasn't right, she looked like she was going to burst in to tears.

'Georgie?' He said softly, placing his hand on her leg gently. 'Talk to me?'

'I can't.' She whispered, and pulled the blanket tighter around her as if she was cold. She was vulnerable, and it reminded him of the first time he had seen her back at the barracks after Elvis had died, and she was wrapped in a blanket, trying to shut everyone out. Just as he had done then, Charlie reached out and pulled her in to him, holding her as tight as he could in to his chest.

He felt her relax a little in his grip and then she began to cry, clinging to his shirt. Charlie didn't say anything, he just held her as tightly as he could and waited until she was ready.

'I'm sorry.' She whispered once she felt a bit better.

'Do you want to talk about it?' He asked, gently folding the blanket down and smoothing her hair down gently with one hand. 'Just be honest.'

Georgie nodded, and then took a deep breath. 'I did a test. It was negative.' She felt tears prickling in her eyes again at the thought of that solitary line in the test window, a screaming reminder that she still hadn't given Charlie what he wanted.

'I'm sorry.' She sniffed, closing her eyes and leaning back in to him.

'Why would you be sorry?' He asked. 'There's no rush Georgie. And I don't mind another month of trying anyway!'

Georgie smiled slightly, and he kissed the top of her head, grateful to see a little glimmer of Georgie in there.

'I just want a fresh start for us, you know. After...' she paused as she had a flash back to being strapped in the vest again in the park, watching as Charlie walked away, wondering whether it would be the last time she saw that sparkle in his eyes. 'I just want something to focus on. Something to look forward to.'

Charlie nodded. 'I understand. But you do have plenty to look forward to. And it will happen when it happens. Why don't we take a break for a bit and just see what happens? I think all this trying has been hard on you.'

Georgie thought about it. She wanted a baby to complete their family so much, but he wasn't wrong. All the effort of trying to make a baby had taken the sparkle out of things, and it had become regimented and routine. She wasn't a stranger to regiment and routine but she didn't want her marriage to be like that.

'Yeah ok.' She agreed, wiping the last tears out of her eyes with the corner of the blanket. 'I'm just scared... that something might have happened to me when they had me in that lock up... what if it's damaged me? What if we never have another baby? I don't want to let you down.'

'Georgie.' Charlie said softly but firmly, cupping the side of her face with his hand. His hand was warm and Georgie closed her eyes as she felt the warmth from his skin against the remnants of her scars. 'You and Olly and Sam, you're all I want. Another baby would be a bonus but don't you ever feel like you're not enough. Promise me.'

'Ok.' Georgie replied, wincing as she felt those familiar cramps returning. She wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively.

'Now how about I get us hot chocolate, you lie down on the sofa and we can stick a film on?' Charlie asked.

'Yeah that would be nice.' Georgie replied, doing as he said and lying down on the sofa with a cushion propped under her head. 'Thank you.'

Georgie watched him leave the room and then she relaxed in to the soft cushions of the sofa, reaching for the remote control and scrolling through a list of films. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted.


	18. Chapter 18

**Authors note - just one more chapter left after this one. However I am planning a sort of 'Christmas special' which I am hoping to make a start on once I have finished this story. Please keep reviewing :)**

8 weeks later

Georgie's hands were shaking as she watched the second line appear. It didn't take long, it appeared almost as quickly as the first. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she smiled as the line grew darker and darker before her eyes.

'Charlie!' She shouted, unlocking the bathroom door and striding out in to the hallway with the test in her hand. She didn't even have to say anything, he already knew from the expression on her face.

Georgie fell in to his arms and he squeezed her tightly before taking her face in both his hands and planting a big kiss on her lips.

'I can't believe it!' Georgie said, still beaming. 'I didn't even think I was this month.'

'This is amazing.' Charlie said, kissing her again. 'I can't wait.' He leant down and placed his hand gently on her tummy. Georgie thought about their tiny baby in there, probably no bigger than a pea, just a bunch of cells furiously multiplying.

'Are you going to let me look after you now? Are you going to take it easy?' Charlie asked, almost jokingly as he already knew what the answer would be.

'Oh shut up!' Georgie said playfully. 'I'm pregnant, not ill. Pregnant women can get on with their lives, you know.'

Charlie didn't say anything for a while, he just looked in to her beaming face and then kissed her again.

'Alright, steady on!' Georgie said jokingly. Charlie loved seeing her so happy, it was like a huge weight had suddenly been lifted off her and she was floating up in the clouds.

'We should celebrate.' Charlie said, letting her go. 'Why don't I cook something special tonight? We can eat once Olly's in bed?'

'Yeah that would be nice.' Georgie said. 'We better make the most of quiet evenings because it won't be long and we'll have another little person to keep happy.'

Charlie nodded. He couldn't wait. He thought about how excited Olly was going to be when he found out he was going to be a big brother.

'When shall we tell Olly?' He asked eagerly.

'Let's just wait a few weeks, keep it to ourselves for now. I don't want to jinx it.' Georgie said. 'I don't want to tell Olly... and then something goes wrong.'

The smile on Georgie's face dropped a bit at the realisation that this wasn't it - not yet. They were at the beginning of a very long journey, one which might well be full of ups and downs if it was anything like her pregnancy with Olly. She was so excited, but she just didn't want anything to go wrong. They had waited so long for this.

...

'Smells delicious!' Georgie grinned as she walked in to the kitchen where Charlie was frying off a mixture of chillies, spices and garlic. 'My favourite.'

She walked up behind him and tucked her hands in to the pockets of the pink apron he always wore when he was cooking something special. He had worn it for the first time as a joke, and since then it had become a bit of a tradition.

'You'll distract me.' He replied, as she kissed him gently between his shoulder blades and rested her head against his back.

They stood like that for a minute or so, while Charlie carried on cooking and Georgie closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, feeling herself relax. Olly was in bed and now they finally had some time just for them.

Once the curry was cooked Charlie set it down on the table and poured himself a glass of wine, and Georgie a glass of lemonade.

'That will take some getting used to!' Georgie replied, watching as Charlie took a sip of his wine.

'Sorry.' Charlie said. 'Do you mind? I thought I might as well finish the bottle that was in the fridge.'

'No, no... you go ahead.' She replied, and took a sip of her own drink. It wasn't the same as having a glass of wine, but she didn't mind. She was just so happy to be carrying their baby at last, she would have happily given up wine for the rest of her life if she had to.

They ate their dinner quickly, and then Charlie took Georgie's hand across the table, gently caressing the side of her hand with his thumb.

'Who'd have thought it, Hey.' He said softly. 'You and me here, happy, with our own family. All those years ago.'

'Yeah I know.' Georgie said. 'Funny how things work out. How you least expect them. Things change.'

Charlie opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but then didn't. Georgie pressed him. 'What?' She asked.

'Nothing.' He shook his head. 'Just thinking how lucky I am, you know.'

Georgie narrowed her eyes and watched as he got up and started to clear the plates. That wasn't what he was going to say. She knew him inside out, and she knew when he wasn't telling the truth.

'Tell me.' She said. 'You promised to always be honest.'

'It's nothing bad.' Charlie said, and then he paused again before sitting back down at the table. 'And it's not... that I'm not being honest.'

'Not telling the whole truth is just as bad as lying.' Georgie said matter of fact, as she saw the hesitation in his eyes.

Charlie said nothing for about a minute, and then he took a deep breath and sighed.

'Alright.' He said. 'I was just thinking about the first time I realised I... you know. Had feelings for you.'

'In Belize?' Georgie said.

'No.' He replied. 'Before that.'

Charlie watched as Georgie furrowed her brow in the way she did when she was trying to work something out.

'You said in Belize that Elvis had bonded us.' She said slowly. 'So... after Elvis' funeral?' He looked at the floor. 'At Elvis' funeral?'

Charlie pressed his lips together and then looked back up at her. It was a conversation they had never had, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to have it.

'Why does it matter?' He said.

'Because... because I want to know.' Georgie replied.

Charlie nodded. 'When I saw you in your wedding dress on the day you were supposed to be marrying Elvis, and I saw how much he had hurt you... I just wanted to be there for you.'

Georgie blinked at him in disbelief. 'All that time?' She said, almost in a whisper. Then she cleared her throat and repeated it louder. 'All that time? And you didn't say anything?'

'How could I?' Charlie replied. 'I didn't want to make things more complicated by telling you when you were getting over Elvis. And he was my best friend. And I was with Molly, we were married, I didn't have a choice. And then before I knew it you were with Jamie and you were back with us in 2 section, and I just wanted you to be happy and I couldn't jeopardise the safety of anyone in the platoon. I was confused - I thought it was just strong friendship, I didn't want to say anything unless I was absolutely sure.'

Georgie sat quietly for a few minutes, digesting what he had just said. 'But you and Molly...'

'Me and Molly weren't right for ages.' He said. 'You knew that. It wasn't like I was going to act on my feelings for you anyway. You moved on and I worked on things with Molly. For a bit.'

Georgie thought back to that time when she returned to 2 section, when Charlie asked her to go to Kenya with them.

'Is that why you asked me to come to Kenya?' She asked.

'No!' Charlie answered, honestly. 'I needed a medic and you were a fit for the job. You know I didn't put a foot out of line on that tour.'

Georgie knew he was right. It didn't stop her thinking back to all the conversations they had had, all the looks they had shared. She thought they were just good friends at the time but maybe there was something more?

'So when exactly did things change?' Georgie asked. 'When did you realise you wanted... me?'

'Like I said before, when Elvis died it brought us together. I would never have said anything before that. It didn't stop it hurting though when we got you back in Kenya and I knew what they had done to you. When I saw you in hospital and you asked Elvis to leave...' Charlie's voice trailed off.

Georgie took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly. She didn't know what to say. All that time... they had grown closer and closer and she hadn't noticed.

'Why didn't you tell me?' She whispered, looking down at her hands in her lap.

'What could I have said?' Charlie asked. 'You were happy with Jamie.. and then once things were over with him I didn't want to confuse you, and I wasn't entirely sure how I felt myself. You know, there was Elvis, Molly... it wasn't so straight forward then. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I didn't want to make things harder for you, I knew you were struggling as it was and I didn't want to confuse you or rush in to something that wasn't what was best for you.'

Georgie ran her hands through her hair, her mind still buzzing with memories.

'When did you... realise you had feelings for me?' Charlie asked, deflecting the conversation back on to Georgie.

'I don't know.' Georgie replied. 'You were my friend, my CO. I didn't want to blur the lines. I guess Belize was when it really hit me - seeing you hurt and thinking I might lose you. And you told me how you felt. But it was before that too. What you wrote in your report... that hurt. And I thought at the time it was because you were my friend and you had betrayed me but now I realise it was more than that.'

Charlie nodded.

'I loved Elvis. But I think I had feelings for you too.. you were always there for me. But when we lost Elvis it made me realise how much I needed you. But I didn't want to tell you and risk making things even more difficult than they already were.'

Charlie nodded. 'Yeah that's how I felt too. But when I thought I was going to die in Belize I had to tell you the truth.'

Georgie looked up at him, remembering how her feelings for Charlie had suddenly become clear after the bomb went off in the police station in Bangladesh. 'Yeah. It's funny how it takes one of us nearly dying to get our arses in gear and be honest with each other.'

Charlie smiled, and took her hand across the table. 'I'm sorry I wasn't entirely honest. But I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. And then it never really came up.'

'I know.' Georgie replied. 'Anyway it's not important. What's important now is us, and our babies, and what we do for the rest of our lives.'

Charlie nodded. 'Yeah.' He agreed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Authors note - so this was going to be the last chapter but it was a bit long, so I have split it in to two. Then I debated deleting this chapter but decided to keep it in. Hope you enjoy! One more left and then I will start working on the 'Christmas special'**

Four months later

'Come on, Olly. Get your coat on. It's time to go.' Charlie said, as he helped his son pull his coat on and then zipped it up to the top.

'No daddy!' Olly squirmed. He hated coats.

'Come on, dude.' Georgie said, pulling her scarf around her neck and then putting her own coat on. 'I'm wearing mine too, see? So is Daddy. It's too cold to go without.'

Georgie watched as Charlie walked down the front steps towards the car, holding their son's hand tightly. He was like a little ball of energy, skipping down the path and chattering away at a hundred miles an hour. It warmed Georgie's heart to see the two of them together, deep in conversation. They were like two peas in a pod.

All the way there Georgie was nervous. She was quiet, and Charlie could tell that she was preoccupied. Olly didn't notice, and just kept jabbering away.

'Are you ok?' Charlie asked, resting his hand on Georgie's leg.

'Yeah.' She said. 'I'll just be glad when this is all done, you know. And everything is ok.'

'I know.' He said, squeezing her leg gently and then placing his hand back on the steering wheel. 'It will be.'

When they arrived, Charlie went to get a ticket for the car while Georgie unclipped Olly from his car seat. 'Mummy, I need my bag!' Olly exclaimed, grabbing for the rucksack he had carefully packed for himself that morning.

'What's in there, darling?' Georgie asked. Olly's latest phase was packing himself a bag wherever he went. This particular bag was styled like a mini army Bergen - it had been a present from some of the old members of 2 section for Olly's first birthday. He had loved it since the minute he was old enough to carry it.

'Just like daddy.' Olly said, swinging the Bergen on to his back. 'And mummy.'

'That's right.' Georgie smiled. 'I think you make a better soldier than me!'

Olly beamed proudly as Charlie got back from the ticket machine. 'Are you looking after Mummy, champ?' He asked.

'Yes.' Olly replied.

Charlie tried to lift him up in to his arms but he squirmed out of his grip. 'No! I walk!'

'Ok.' Charlie said, and took his hand instead while Georgie held the other. They walked towards the doors of the hospital with Olly swinging between them excitedly.

Georgie sat in the waiting room while Charlie went to grab a drink, and Olly was delighted that there was a table covered in toys to explore. Georgie watched as he played, a proud smile on her face. He was growing in to such a funny little character and was such good company now. Charlie got back with his coffee.

'Ugh! Go and drink that over there.' Georgie recoiled at the smell of the drink.

'Sorry.' Charlie said, jokingly. 'I didn't know coffee was banned now.'

'It's not but I can't stand the smell.' Georgie replied, holding the sleeve of her jumper over her mouth and nose so she couldn't smell it.

After a few more minutes they were called in to their appointment. Georgie pulled out a box of snacks she had brought with her to keep Olly quiet during the scan, and he sat on Charlie's lap happily tucking in.

'Hi, Georgie. I'm Lucy and I'll be doing your scan today.' The sonographer said, gesturing for Georgie to take a seat on the bed. 'If you lie back and pull your bottoms down and tuck this piece of paper towel in to protect your clothes, I'll get the gel and we can get started.'

'Thank you.' Georgie said, doing as she said. She turned her head and smiled at Charlie as Lucy squirted the cold gel on to her tummy. He learnt across and placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing it gently.

'It might be a little bit uncomfortable but it shouldn't hurt, so let me know if you do feel any pain.' Lucy said as she moved the wand around. Georgie unintentionally held her breath. She was so nervous. She just wanted to know everything was ok.

'Just breathe normally, baby knows if you're holding your breath.' Lucy said softly, still looking at the screen as she moved the wand around, and Georgie let out the huge breath that she hadn't even realised she was holding.

'Here we go.' Lucy said, pointing to the screen. 'There's your baby. There's the head, and there's the legs.'

'Where's it's eyes?' Olly blurted our suddenly, making everyone laugh. Georgie felt tears of relief in her eyes and she wiped them away with her free hand.

'They're too tiny at the moment, Olly.' Georgie replied. 'But look, that's your little brother or sister.'

'Can I have a sister?' Olly asked.

'We don't get to choose.' Charlie said to him. 'But next time we come to the hospital, hopefully we can find out.'

Olly grinned, jiggling up and down on Charlie's leg. Georgie looked back at the screen and watched their baby bouncing around inside her. At the moment she couldn't feel a thing, but she couldn't wait until the baby was big enough for her to feel those first little flutters.

'Everything looks great at the moment.' Lucy said positively after a few minutes, wiping the wand and placing it back in the holder. 'I'll give you guys a few minutes and then I'll meet you out there to book in your next appointment.'

'Thank you.' Georgie said, wiping the gel from her stomach and pulling down her T-shirt.

Charlie stood up, placing Olly down on the floor, and kissed her. 'I love you.' He said, placing his hand gently on the small curve of her belly.

'I love you too.' Georgie replied. 'Shall we go shopping now? Olly can choose something for the baby?'

Charlie grinned. 'Yeah I think so.' He said. 'A bit of lunch?'

'Yeah I'm starving.' Georgie said.

'Pasta!' Olly said, jumping up and down. 'Pasta pasta!'

'Yep, sounds like it's Italian.' Charlie smiled, ruffling Olly's curly hair.

They booked in Georgie's next scan before leaving the hospital, bought a couple of scan photos from the desk and then made their way back to the car.

'Do you think the baby will have brown hair like me?' Olly asked, his Bergen still proudly on his back. 'Or blonde like Sam?'

'I dunno.' Georgie smiled, swinging his arm backwards and forwards and making him laugh. 'Maybe it will have dark hair like mine.'

Olly thought for a moment, and then shook his head. 'Nah. She's going to be just like me.'

'We're going to have our hands full then, eh?' Georgie laughed.


	20. Chapter 20

6 months later

Charlie had told Georgie to put her feet up and leave everything for when he got home, but she hadn't listened. She was 38 weeks pregnant and in full nesting mode. She had been on maternity leave for a week and already she was a bit bored. Olly was at school for most of the day and it wasn't in her nature to sit and watch daytime TV. She needed something to keep her busy.

It was only half ten in the morning and she had already scrubbed all the tiled floors, cleaned the oven and done two loads of washing - the last of which she was carrying up the stairs (another thing Charlie had told her not to do) when she lost her footing and fell.

She cried out in pain as the basket dug in to her stomach and her knees hit the edge of the step. The shock took her breath away and she knelt for a few seconds on the stairs, washing strewn half way down where the basket had tipped, and then swore and started to pick the clothing up.

She had just about filled the basket back up when she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket and she pulled it out, balancing the basket back on the stairs as she answered it.

'Hey.' It was Charlie.

'Hi.' She said breathlessly, wondering whether she would be able to pick the basket up under one arm and get it upstairs if she put him on loudspeaker. She felt as though she was on a mission, and she had to get it done.

'What are you doing?' Charlie asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

'Oh... nothing.' Georgie said. 'Just sorting out the washing.'

'I told you to leave it until I got home!' Charlie said in mock frustration. 'Why are you incapable of putting your feet up and relaxing?'

'You know me.' Georgie said, deciding to try it. She managed to hoist the basket up on her hip with one hand, and started to climb the stairs again, the phone pressed to her ear with her shoulder.

'Georgie.' Said Charlie, more seriously this time. 'Please be careful. What if you hurt yourself and there's nobody there.'

'That's what phones are for.' Georgie said. 'Anyway I'm fine, I just tripped up the stairs but I'm ok.'

'You did what?' Charlie asked. 'Did you hurt your stomach? Are you sure you're ok?'

'Yeah I'm fine.' Georgie replied, exasperatedly. 'Stop asking, ok. If I'm not ok I'll say something, how about that.'

She set the basket on the bed and started to fold the washing. Half the basket was full of baby grows which she had been washing in readiness for the baby's arrival.

'I only ask because I care.' Charlie replied.

'I know.' Georgie said. 'But I'm pregnant not ill. I don't need you to check up on me.'

'I didn't phone to check up on you.' Charlie replied. 'I phoned to find out what you fancy for dinner. I'll be on my way home in a bit, I'm just finishing up here. Early day.'

'I don't mind.' Georgie said. She was just folding up the last of the baby grows when she felt her belly tighten. It took her by surprise and she let out a small yelp.

'Georgie?' Charlie asked, worried again. 'What's happening?'

'Oh, nothing Charlie!' Georgie snapped at him. 'It's just braxton hicks, I get them about twenty times a day. Stop worrying!'

He was quiet for a few seconds and then she felt guilty for snapping at him. She knew he only worried because he cared.

'I'm sorry.' Georgie said. 'I just... find it frustrating.'

'Find what frustrating?' Charlie asked.

Georgie paused. 'I just... I feel like... I don't need taking care of you know.'

'I know.' Charlie replied. 'But I like to take care of you.' She could hear he was a bit hurt and she felt even more guilty. 'I have almost lost you so many times. I can't risk losing you again.'

'You won't.' Georgie said. 'I'm sorry for being a moody cow I'm just.. you know. Hormones and that.'

'Yeah.' He said. 'Anyway I've got to go. I'll be back in a bit. Love you.'

'Love you too.' She replied.

She heard Charlie put the phone down and she sighed. As she started to fold the washing again she felt another tightening and took a deep breath. 'You're going to be well practiced by the time it all begins properly.' She said, stroking her bump. 'Give me a break today, eh, I've still got loads to do.'

She put the washing away and was just about to start tidying Olly's room when she felt another tightening. This one took her breath away, and it almost felt as though she could feel the baby pressing its way down. She grabbed hold of the door handle with one hand while clutching her stomach with the other, and remembered how to breathe deeply. Within a few seconds it subsided and she began to pick up the toys and crumpled toys that Olly had left all over his bedroom floor.

It wasn't long before she felt it coming again, and this time she was doubled over in pain. She breathed through it and then felt a sudden warm gush through her leggings. 'Oh shit!' She said, watching as it leaked all over the carpet. Once the pain was over she walked to the bathroom and got a towel, and was starting to mop it up when it came again, this time it was a lot more painful and it made her cry out. She got down on all fours and tried to breathe it out until it passed.

She suddenly realised that this wasn't just braxton hicks, the contractions were coming thick and fast and she was alone. She scrambled up off the floor and tried to look for her phone but she couldn't remember where she had left it. She lifted piles of toys from Olly's shelves, and from the floor but she couldn't find it. She started to stagger in to the landing as another contraction came, and she grabbed the stair rail and gritted her teeth as she breathed through it. She knew this was a lot different than her labour with Olly. Already this was intense, and she was struggling to cope with breathing alone. She was scared and she didn't know what to do. She could hardly drive herself to the hospital when she was in labour and she didn't think she could make it down the stairs in this much pain. She crawled in to the bathroom and pulled her wet leggings off, they were sticking to her skin and frustrating her.

Just as she had pulled them off another contraction came, and she leant over the bath, crying out in pain. How she wished Charlie was here to help her. She felt stupid for losing her phone. Once the contraction was over and she got her breath back, she was just about to get up and go in to the bedroom to see if it was there when another contraction came, even stronger than before. Her knuckles went white as she held on to the edge of the bath and squeezed it tight. She was crying out so loudly that she was surprised none of the neighbours could hear her. She tried to call out for help but still nobody came.

She suddenly felt so hot, and pulled her hoodie off so that all she was wearing was a T-shirt and underwear. She still felt uncomfortable, and with the next contraction she felt unbearable pressure down below and she took her underwear off before daring to look in the bathroom mirror opposite her.

'Fuck!' She cried, starting to panic even more as she saw the dark hair of the baby's head. Thankfully it wasn't coming out yet but she knew it wouldn't be long.

'Help me please!'

She was in too much pain to go anywhere and she could hardly get up and go out to get help in her T-shirt and nothing else. If she wasn't so petrified it would almost have been funny - it was exactly the sort of scenario that Charlie talked about when he explained why he worried about Georgie being home alone. She had always dismissed him and told him not to be so stupid, that labour took ages and babies didn't just pop out, but here she was, alone and petrified with a baby about to do just that in the bathroom.

Between contractions Georgie managed to grab one of the warm towels from the towel rail opposite her and she clutched it to her stomach as another contraction took hold. She cried out again, her knuckles white as she gripped the towel, and suddenly just as he had done all those years ago when she was doing the test with Olly, Charlie burst in to the bathroom, this time with a look of sheer panic on his face.

'Georgie what the fuck is going on?' He asked.

'What do you think?' Georgie cried, writhing in pain and grabbing for his hand. 'I'm so glad you're home.'

'Why didn't you call me?' Charlie asked. 'Why didn't you call an ambulance?'

'I don't... know where my phone is.' Georgie managed through gritted teeth.

The contraction subsided and she relaxed against the bath for a few seconds of rest while Charlie desperately dialled for an ambulance. He was so shocked that his hands were shaking and his thumbs wouldn't work how he wanted them to. After a few seconds which felt like hours he managed to get it right and there was an operator at the end of the phone.

'Ambulance.' He barked down the phone. 'My wife's in labour, the baby's coming. I need an ambulance now.'

Once she heard Georgie screaming in agony in the background, the operator told him to put the phone on speaker and gather some more towels and some warm water. The ambulance was on its way but the operator could tell that the baby was coming now.

'I'm scared, Charlie.' Georgie said, her hair damp with sweat. 'I can't do this. It hurts so much.'

'Yes you can.' He replied. He tried to sound positive but he was petrified. What if the ambulance didn't arrive and he had to deliver this baby right now?

With the next contraction, Charlie could see the baby's head.

'Fuck!' He cried, his hand pressed to his forehead half in shock and half in horror at the realisation of what he had to do. 'Um... the baby's coming out. The heads coming out. I don't know what to do.'

'Just be there and help guide baby out.' The operator said. 'Georgie, you need to take a big breath and push. Once the head starts to come out, you need to pant so it comes out slowly.'

If Georgie wasn't in so much pain, the sight of Charlie in pure panic mode would have made her laugh. He was usually so

calm and composed, when they were in the army he had directed 2 section through more daring situations than she could remember. But here he was, faced with delivering his own baby and he was as white as a sheet as if he was about to pass out.

The next contraction started and Charlie took Georgie's hand as she pushed as hard as she could, and the head started to crown.

'Is the baby crowning?' The operator asked.

'What?' Charlie asked, kissing Georgie's hand. He found it so difficult to see her in so much pain.

'Is the baby's head right there, half way out?' The operator asked.

'Yes.' Charlie confirmed.

'Ok. Georgie you need to pant the baby out now ok.'

'Where's the ambulance?!' Charlie cried. He was petrified. What if he did this wrong, what if something went wrong and nobody was here to help? What if he lost both of them?'

'It will be with you very soon.' The operator said. 'But Charlie you need to get a towel ready to catch the baby. Once baby comes out you need to wrap them up in towels to keep them warm.'

'Er... what about the cord?' Charlie asked.

'You can just leave it attached for now, the Crew will sort that out when they arrive.'

Charlie silently pleaded that the ambulance crew would arrive just in time and take over, but there was no time. Georgie closed her eyes and writhed in agony as another contraction took over her body and the head started to come out even further.

'There's so much hair, Georgie.' Charlie said, amazed at what he could see. 'All dark like yours.'

Georgie was in too much pain to respond but she squeezed his hand as she tried to pant like she was told. But it was so hard, her body was telling her to get the baby out now and that's what she wanted to do.'

'Slowly.' Charlie said, holding the towels ready. 'Here he comes.'

They didn't know whether they were expecting a boy or a girl. They had planned to find out at the 20 week scan, but baby hadn't cooperated and they had taken it as a sign that they should have a surprise. It was habit for them to say 'He' as they already had Olly and that was all they had ever known.

'Charlie I can't!' Georgie pleaded as she got a small break again. 'Please. Make it stop.'

'I can't!' Charlie smiled, leaning forward and kissing her gently. 'But you can do this. You've done it before and you're doing amazingly. I'm so proud of you.'

Another contraction came and within seconds, Georgie had pushed with all her might and their baby slipped out in to the world, right in to her Dad's waiting hands.

'It's a girl, Georgie!' Charlie cried, tears spilling from his eyes as he rubbed his daughter instinctively with the towels. As he did so she screamed out her first cry, as if to announce her entrance.

'A girl!' Georgie cried, completely ecstatic.

'Our girl!'

Charlie wrapped her up in several towels and kissed her tiny nose before handing her to Georgie. Georgie held her close to her chest and smiled at her tiny little face.

'Hey darling.' She whispered. 'You're beautiful.'

The operator was still talking on the phone, asking Charlie what was happening now and trying to tell him what to do next, but neither Georgie nor Charlie could really hear her. They were caught up in their own little bubble, completely in love with their new baby girl. It was like a fresh start for them, a new beginning, a chance to just be the three of them for a short while.

'I love you.' Charlie said, wrapping his arm around Georgie's neck and cuddling her tightly in to him, their baby girl beneath him in her arms. 'So much. You're amazing.'

'I love you too.' Georgie replied, leaning in to him with her eyes still fixed on the tiny baby.

In that moment, it was like their family had become complete, and despite everything they had been through and all the troubles they had faced, they finally had their happy ending.

 **Authors note - thank you so much to my readers and especially to the reviewers, it means so much when people let me know what they think and it really encourages me to write future stories too.**

 **I am a sucker for a happy ending so I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **I am working on a 'christmas special' which I plan to get up by next week as I am away for christmas.**

 **Thank you again and please let me know what you thought :)**


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